Authentic English Pancakes (A Tutorial)

Monday 20 February 2023

Authentic English Pancakes 






Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, or pancake day as it is lovingly referred to throughout the Christian world.  This is the last day before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent.  Traditionally on Shrove Tuesday families would use up the last of their flour and eggs before the Lenten fast by making pancakes for their families.



When I was growing up, this was the only day of the year where we got pancakes. My mother never cooked them at any other time.  Hers were the big fluffy ones that you associate with North American pancakes and they were very good.


One year though, when we were visiting our French Grandmaman, we children all got very excited because our Grandmaman said she was making us pancakes.  


They were not the pancakes we were used to however, they were French crepes.  We were a tad bit disappointed because they were not what we were expecting! Naughty children.  




 
Authentic English Pancakes 
 




As I got older I used to long for some of  my Grandmaman's pancakes.  Imagine my delight when I moved to the UK and on the very first Pancake Day discovered Traditional English Pancakes!  These were just like my Grandmaman's pancakes! Heaven, heaven, heaven.



These are light and thin and ruffly and golden brown and delicious!  Thinner and much larger around than the North American pancake, these have been gracing British tables since the 1400's, traditionally served with lemon and sugar.


I suspect perhaps they are a throw back to William the Conqueror and the Normans from France, but don't quote me on that.  I am no historian! 


It is said that more than 135 million pancakes are scarfed down every year in British households on Shrove Tuesday. I was surprised at just what a huge tradition is Pancake Day is there!!!  Its a very popular thing and the shops advertise all the makings and trimmings for a few weeks in the run up to the day.

 Communities have pancake flipping contests and races and everything. I loved it!  A day celebrating one of my favorite foods!!




Authentic English Pancakes   





For the recipe I am sharing today I have taken the cheek of borrowing the best from two British cooks, Mary Berry and Delia Smith.  There were only slight differences in each recipe.

Delia used two full eggs. Mary only one egg and an egg yolk.  I have always thought Delia's to be a bit eggy in flavor and so opted to use Mary's measurements for the eggs.

Delia added butter to her batter however. I am not one to turn up my nose at the addition of butter to anything and so added butter to mine, with most delicious results.

What you have here is a very tasty mish-mash of the best!  I hope you will give them a go and if you are very brave you may even want to  try flipping them in the pan!



Authentic English Pancakes


 



    WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AUTHENTIC ENGLISH PANCAKES


Very simple everyday ingredients. There is nothing complicated here.  I have converted from British Measures to North American and shown you both.



  • 1 cup plus 2 TBS (125g) all purpose plain flour
  • 1 large free range egg plus 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk
  • 2 TBS butter, melted
  • pinch salt

Authentic English Pancakes 





HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC ENGLISH PANCAKES

Don't be afraid. They are really very simple to make. The first one is always a bit of a throw away as you adjust your temperature and amount of batter, etc. They get better as you go along!  (Even the duds taste good!)



Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt. Make a well in the center.


Start to whisk in the egg and egg yolk, pulling a bit of flour from around the edges of the well as you go along.


Then start to add in small quantities of the milk gradually, whisking continuously and pulling flour from around the edges as you go. Don't worry if you see a few lumps, they will be whisked out.


Once all the milk has been added scrape around the edges with a rubber spatula to incorporate any stubborn bits of flour. Whisk until the batter is smooth and has the consistency of thin cream.


Whisk in the melted butter.





Authentic English Pancakes


 


Heat the pan over medium high heat until hot. Brush the pan with a bit of oil or butter. Ladle in about 2 to 3 TBS of the batter, tilting the pan to coat the bottom of the pan evenly with the batter.


Cook over medium high heat until little bubbles appear on the surface and the underside has begun to brown (45 to 60 seconds.)  Carefully flip over, using a palate knife or flexible spatula. Cook on the other side for about 30 seconds until golden.


Slide the pancake out of the pan onto a plate.


Heat and lightly grease the pan as before. Repeat for each pancake, until all the batter is used up. Don't worry about stacking them on the plate. If they are hot when you stack the, they will not stick together.


Serve as per your desire. (I like to sprinkle with lemon juice and granulated sugar and roll them up or fold them into quarters. Rolling them up is very traditional.)




Authentic English Pancakes 




And there you have it, authentically English pancakes in all their glory.  Thin and lacy, golden brown, deliciousness. Cousin to the French Crepe.


You can fill them if you want. Nutella is a favorite filling in the UK, and more people are embracing the use of Maple syrup. I like them in the more traditional way, sprinkled with lemon juice and scattered with a bit of granulated sugar.  Its an incredibly simple but very moreish way to eat them! I highly recommend!





Authentic English Pancakes 








Now that I have whetted your appetite for pancakes perhaps you may enjoy some of these other recipes. All of them are delicious!  I promise you! 



APPLESAUCE PANCAKES WITH A SPICY APPLE SYRUP -These delicious pancakes are moist and fluffy, with a slightly sweet and spicy apple flavour. The apple syrup makes the scrummiest topping.


FLUFFY RICOTTA PANCAKES.  These fluffy pancakes have a deliciously creamy texture. They make a particularly scrumptious breakfast for that special someone in your life, but they also make a delicious dessert when topped with sweetened whipped cream!



OATMEAL COOKIE PANCAKES - Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes are the best! You get all the wholesome and nutty flavour of a tasty Oatmeal Cookie . . . except in the glorious deliciousness of a breakfast pancake!



Yield: 12 pancakes
Author: Marie Rayner
Traditional English Pancakes

Traditional English Pancakes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min
These are very similar to French Crepes. Thin and lacy around the edges. Beautiful sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar, then rolled up to eat.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 TBS (125g) all purpose plain flour
  • 1 large free range egg plus 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk
  • 2 TBS butter, melted
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  1. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt. Make a well in the center.
  2. Start to whisk in the egg and egg yolk, pulling a bit of flour from around the edges of the well as you go along.
  3. Then start to add in small quantities of the milk gradually, whisking continuously and pulling flour from around the edges as you go. Don't worry if you see a few lumps, they will be whisked out.
  4. Once all the milk has been added scrape around the edges with a rubber spatula to incorporate any stubborn bits of flour. Whisk until the batter is smooth and has the consistency of thin cream.
  5. Whisk in the melted butter.
  6. Heat the pan over medium high heat until hot.
  7. Brush the pan with a bit of oil or butter. Ladle in about 2 to 3 TBS of the batter, tilting the pan to coat the bottom of the pan evenly with the batter.
  8. Cook over medium high heat until little bubbles appear on the surface and the underside has begun to brown (45 to 60 seconds.)
  9. Carefully flip over, using a palate knife or flexible spatula. Cook on the other side for about 30 seconds until golden.
  10. Slide the pancake out of the pan onto a plate.
  11. Heat and lightly grease the pan as before. Repeat for each pancake, until all the batter is used up. Don't worry about stacking them on the plate. If they are hot when you stack the, they will not stick together.
  12. Serve as per your desire. (I like to sprinkle with lemon juice and granulated sugar and roll them up or fold them into quarters. Rolling them up is very traditional.)
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Authentic English Pancakes







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6 comments

  1. In my neck of the woods, tomorrow is Fastnacht Day! I'm not sure if it's an Amish tradition or just from Germany/Switzerland in general.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your English "pancakes " look delicious Marie and are making me hungry! My father used to make a thin crepe like pancake, but just to complicate matters more, he called them "flapjacks" , but flapjacks are an old American term for American "pancakes "!!! His had 4 eggs and only 4 or 5 Tbls of flour plus milk, melted butter, and salt. I still make them today. His Polish mother made them the same way and also made a dessert of them by rolling them up with strawberry jam and topping with whipped cream. I've never seen a recipe like it, so perhaps it's Polish? Adding to the confusion, some areas of the US refer to pancakes as "hotcakes "!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They sound really delicious! There are so many ways to describe and make pancakes! I find food history and traditions fascinating! xo

      Delete
  3. These are the same as the “German” pancakes I ate growing up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are the same as my French Canadian Grandmother's also, but they are what the British consider to be pancakes and so I am presenting them as such.

      Delete

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