Written by Lewis Woollard
So many nations have their own take on the great staple that is the pancake. Our European brothers in France call it the crepe. We Brits call it the pancake, but the Americans are the true owners of the batter treat king title.
They just seem to do it right—bigger, better and you guessed it, unhealthier. But who cares if it is a little unhealthy if it tastes as amazing as our overseas cousin’s one.
Eaten as a meal or a special snack, the pancake can settle a rumbling stomach at just the glimmer of a bite. What is most important is that it takes little stress to cook.
With only seven ingredients to throw into a bowl, you can barely go wrong, not to mention the possibility of creating any size flapjack you want. If you fancy nibbling on a decadent, culinary taste or just curious to secure the best recipe very prior to shrove Tuesday, then follow my pinpointed recipe below.
Ingredients… (Makes a large number of Pancakes)
200g Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
A Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Caster Sugar
300ml Milk
1 Egg
Knob of Butter (Melted)
Handful of Chocolate Chips
1.) The first step on your adventure to fulfilling your fluffy-centred, chocolate chip flapjack is to combine all your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then mix together, making a small well in the centre.
2.) In a separate jug, combine your milk and your egg. Beat the two together to form a wet mix. Pour this into the well of your dry mix.
3.) Using a whisk and some serious arm power, whip up the entire mixture until it is completely smooth.
4.) Melt a knob of butter in a microwavable container in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds. Trickle this into your batter mixture, and beat it with whisk until it is smooth and lump-free. Your basic batter is now complete.
5.) Transfer the pancake batter mixture into an easy-to-pour kitchen utensil so you can get your mix into the pan easily. For instance, I chose a measuring jug. Don’t forget to add your chocolate chips into the batter at this stage, making for a gooey, chocolate bite when your pancake is cooked.
6.) Set aside your gloopy pancake mixture for one moment and grab your selected frying pan. Heat it up and melt a large knob of butter on medium heat, ready for the griddlecakes to be cooked on.
7.) Once the butter has fully melted and your pan is at a solid medium heat, pour or ladle a hearty helping of your mixture into the base. You can vary the size according to preference, but hockey puck size should do nicely.
8.) After two or three minutes in the pan, your pancake should have some air bubbles appearing on the surface, meaning it is ready to flip. If they do not have air bubbles, however, do not attempt to flip them, as you will only be left with a floppy mess and a half-hearted batter ball.
9.) When it looks like the image above, slide your spatula underneath and flip the flapjack. You should bear witness to a beautiful, golden pancake, almost ready enough to be engulfed by your gullet.
10.) Give the perfectly crisp creation of heaven a few minutes of magic on its reverse side to complete the cooking process. One great tip is to lift the bottom end up with your spatula to take a peak. If it looks sealed and golden on the bottom, it is ready.
11.) Proceed with the same sequence until you make your way through the jug of batter, stacking up the stomach-soothing hotcakes as you go along. Do not forget you can keep them warm under a low heated stove, if you are waiting to indulge on them all in one go.
12.) Finish up with a topping of your choice and carve your way through the leaning tower of flapjacks. A fantastic sugar for image and flavor is icing sugar, as it really enhances the luxurious element.