Take a walk down any supermarket aisle and you will be hard pushed to not notice that it is pancake day tomorrow! From filling suggestions to pre-made varieties (we want to say monstrosities…) you would be hard pushed to find a lemon or nutella jar if you left your pancakes to chance come Tuesday evening 7pm.
So, who better than us, the Yorkshire Catering Company to give you some top tips when it comes to your perfect pancake preparation. Grab a pen and paper, or, just read this off your mobile, we’ve got you covered.
The essentials
Pancakes aren’t that hard to make… no, they really aren’t, you just need to be a little bit organised and have the essentials which of course include the ingredients, which we’ll get to, but even more importantly, it’s all about the pan. You want a good, if not great, non stick frying pan. They are the essential item for any pancake day repertoire.
Beaters, spatulas and even kitchen roll are needed but without a good non-stick frying pan you can count your pancake flipping show, a failure before it even begins.
The batter!
We are from Yorkshire, and we are proud, here’s the thing though, the stuff that makes our Yorkshire Roasts great is the stuff you want in your pancakes; the perfect batter. Remember when James Martin had cardiologists in a fluster over an 8 egg batter recipe? There are lots of tips for batter, ours are;
– try and grab the freshest eggs you can
– use whole or semi-skimmed milk
– don’t forget that pinch of salt, it helps with flavour but also stops the proteins from sticking like glue- make the batter an hour so in advance, let it settle
The trick to all of this is making sure that you get the batter thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, thin enough to run in a hot pan. Like a proper Yorkshire pudding, pancake better is best left to rest before being thrown into a hot pan.
If you wanted to go for the fluffy American style pancakes it’s the same mix just be sure to add buttermilk instead of regular and a tea spoon of baking powder. Oh, and don’t forget that American pancakes are also thicker in batter consistency.
It’s all about technique!
When you are cooking your Yorkshire puddings you know the two rules are, ‘fat’ & ‘temperature’. Well, it’s no different. For the pan, you want a hot pan, but not smoking, for the fat, you want unsalted butter or sunflower oil; a good non stick pan still needs something, a not so good non stick pan will need regular coating, around every 5 – 6 pancakes.
What you need to be mindful of is that the first of the pancakes is rarely ever great, so instead of wasting a load of batter, just use a drop. If it cooks quickly, turn the heat down a little.
Flipping great time!
You can complain about the puns later, but the essential pancake flipping contest will begin and dad, tries to outstage mum who will be outstaged by child in the flipping test. It’s actually simple, loosen the pancake batter and then, it’s all in the wrist action. “Point the pan slightly downwards then, drag upwards quickly” our former chef school teacher taught us. Works every time.
Fillings & Finishes
Finally, we’re at the filling stage, well, it’s not that hard. Whether you’re going savoury or sweet, its about knowing what you want before hand.
Great savoury flavour combinations include; feta and red pepper filling, Spinach, Bacon and Mushroom Crepes, and Spinach, Bacon, Mushroom crepes.
For your sweet toppings there are so many to choose from, we’re partial to good old nutella, friends enjoy bananas and nutella, whilst the glamorous 70s are back with the amazing Crépes Suzette because, who doesn’t love the 70s… and vivid romantic dreams of a French pancake the day before valentines day.