Dad was the pancake maker in my family home. If they were on the menu, excitement would echo through the house. He was so good at it because of his patient nature. He’d prepare the mixture the night before, so the batter was at its finest by the morning. Then, he would stand at the stove, ensuring everyone had enough before he would sit down to eat. I strongly encourage sharing them with family and friends whilst drinking endless cups of hot coffee when no one’s in a hurry.
This is an edited excerpt from The Small Kitchen Cook by Ash Butler.
The Small Kitchen Cook
2 cups of plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
A pinch of flakey sea salt
2 eggs
1/2 a cup of water
1 and a 1/4 cups of milk (I use oat)
Butter or coconut oil, for frying
A handful of blackberries
Juice of one lemon
3 to 4 tablespoons of plain coconut or dairy yoghurt
Honey
Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt into a bowl. If you don’t have a sieve, use a fork to break up the lumps.
In a separate bowl, give the eggs a good whisk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, water and milk.
Combine the ingredients well and gently fold the mixture until there are no clumps of flour. It’s important not to overmix the batter as the whisked, aerated eggs will help the pancakes rise perfectly as they cook.
The pancake batter is best once it has rested. Overnight is ideal, but any little bit helps, even if it’s five or ten minutes in the fridge before you cook them.
On medium heat, melt enough butter or coconut oil in a frypan to lightly coat the bottom. Drip a drop of batter in the pan. If it sizzles gently, the pan is hot enough to start cooking the pancakes.
Pour in some batter to make the pancake your ideal size and cook it on one side until bubbles form on the surface. Flip it with a spatula and cook until the bottom is golden, usually when the pancake has puffed up in the middle slightly.
Repeat the process, adding butter or oil to your pan as it’s needed.
If everyone’s as impatient as we were as kids, flip them straight onto a waiting plate and let the recipient dish out their own blackberries, lemon, yoghurt and honey. If you’re serving them all at once, stack them on a plate as you cook, covering them with a clean tea towel to keep them warm.
