My instructions for Pancake Day would read:
"Put on a capacious apron on and get ready to set the kitchen a-sizzle with the smell of hot batter hitting the pan. Have a big plate ready to stack up the golden beauties, and plenty of toppings available. Lots of napkins are a must for the inevitable buttery, sticky hands and faces. Parsimony is not an option, there should be plenty, plus a little more."
We had pancakes when the boys came home from school today.
I love making pancakes;standing in a kitchen that smells of hot butter, with a big bowl of pancake batter ready to go, and hungry boys waiting for the magic pronouncement 'They're ready!' is the greatest pleasure to me.
When you have made enough (I reckon on 6 for each hungry child!) let them loose and stand well back.
Be prepared for some mess, and everyone being too full for dinner. Oh well, there's always tomorrow to be sensible...
This recipe makes about 20 pancakes. I use a 1/4 cup measure to ladle the batter into the pan, and my pan measures 20cm across.
Ingredients.
240g plain flour
4 large eggs
600ml milk
100g butter, melted
butter for the frying pan
fillings as desired.
Method.
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to a smooth batter.
Set aside for 20 minutes. (I really do think this helps the pancakes taste better!)
Heat the pan over a medium heat, take approx a teaspoonful of butter and wipe it round the pan with a thick wodge of kitchen paper. It should sizzle but not blacken.
Ladle in the batter, and gently tilt the pan to cover the bottom of the pan. It should look lacy at the edges. Cook for one to two minutes until the underside is golden, then flip.
Cook the second side, and when golden remove to waiting plate, lined with a sheet of kitchen paper. With another teaspoon of butter wipe round the pan and continue until the batter is used up, piling the pancakes between sheets of kitchen paper. This helps to absorb a little of the excess butter and stops the pancakes sticking to each other.