It’s February 12th, a marker of my one year anniversary as a freelancer. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I’m cooking exactly the same recipe as I did last year – a stack full of deliciously fluffy American pancakes. They are stupidly easy to make and can be created using your standard kitchen cupboard ingredients. The overall process takes around 10 minutes to prep, and around 15 minutes to cook, including the bacon. Veggie options can be added if needed. This recipe can easily feed up to four people. OR one person if you like breakfast. So let’s get to it.
What You Will Need
3 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
1 tbsp of sugar (preferably caster)
1 tsp of vanilla essence
salt
1 tsp of baking powder
25g melted butter (I tend to just use 1 tsp)
200ml of milk
vegetable oil or butter for cooking
extra toppings: blueberries, smoked bacon, Nutella
American Pancake Method
I’m not going to lie, I’m usually the type of person who just shoves all the ingredients into a bowl and mixes them together. It all goes in the same place anyway so I don’t think there’s any special ‘technique’ to creating these fluffy disks of joy. But since this is a recipe post I’ll try and be a bit more civilised. Here we go:
1.) Measure out all your ingredients beforehand and grab a mixing bowl. Start by adding flour, sugar, baking powder, a sprinkle of salt and mix together.
2.) If you’re adding bacon or warm toppings to your recipe (I highly recommend smoked bacon for added flavour) I suggest putting them in the oven before starting so the pancakes will be done at the same time.
3.). Slowly crack the eggs into the centre of the bowl with the milk and butter. It’s ideal to melt the butter beforehand in the microwave for a few seconds so it’s not lumpy! Whisk together until a light batter is formed. Now add the tsp of vanilla essence and stir in.
4). Carefully heat a small knob of butter, or vegetable oil in a pan. Make the pan really hot to begin with then turn down just before you add your batter. This prevents the mixture from burning! I use a ladle to pour in a several scoopfuls around 7cm wide. If you’re creating several at the same time, be careful that the batter doesn’t touch one another. If your frying pan is rather small, be sensible and do just 1-2 at a time.
5.) Cook on each side for 2 minutes until you start to see bubbles on top. This means the underneath is starting to cook. Flip the pancakes over (try not to get it all up the wall like I did) and cook for a further 2 minutes. Use this method until all of your mixture has been used up.
6.) Since the oven will already be warm (if you’re cooking bacon) I tend to add the pancakes on a plate one by one inside to keep them warm and prevent them from drying out.
7.) Once all your pancakes are cooked, pile them up high in the centre of your warm plate (biggest one at the bottom). Criss-cross your smoked bacon on top and drizzle over warm Nutella with a spoon. I actually put the glass jar of Nutella inside the frying pan afterwards for 20 seconds so the bottom becomes warm and the chocolate is easier to scoop. Add the final decoration of blueberries, or strawberries. Whatever you fancy.
8). Stuff your face.
And there you go, my simple American fluffy pancake recipe that is bound to leave you smacking your lips with joy. They’re better enjoyed with a large cup of coffee. Vegetarian options also available. Make your friends jealous and add your photos to social media. Tag me in your posts if you decide to use this recipe. I’d love to see your creations.
Please note: this post is not sponsored in any way. I just like pancakes. and Nutella. And large portions. Other chocolate spreads and toppings available.