No measure method :
Chuck some flour in a bowl
Add 1 Egg (whisk first)
Pour in a small amount of milk
Whisk like crazy. Slowly add milk, Whisk like crazy, add more milk, keep whisking. When your batter is at the consistency you want (personal preference), stop adding milk.
Tips and tricks :
- 1 egg is usually more than you need. Get a decent sized egg and you don't need two. This prevent the batter from tasting to "eggy" Its also better to make multiple batches than one big giant mixture.
- When you have your personal consistency make sure you whisk it to within an inch of its life. When the surface has lots of small bubbles that dont pop then your good to go. This will give you a lighter pancake and if your making any American style or Drop scone it will give you a better fluffy texture.
- Lard is awesome. The modern stuff has almost no flavour and Lard can take much higher temperatures. Always choose an oil that has a higher smoke point. You can be pretty frugal with your oil and just use enough to coat the pan. Too much and you will burn the edges of your pancake.
- Hot is good, scorching is bad. The old fashioned way (I was taught) was to heat the pan till the oil starts to smoke and then turn the pan off. That way you are using the residual heat to cook the pancake rather than cooking it or burning it.
- Use a griddle pan or a good solid heavy based pan. They retain the heat more and dont warp. The modern crepe/pancake pans tend to be thin and can burn the pancakes
- Use a Deep ladle ! spoon off the edges so you dont drip anywhere. Dont overfill it. Keep the ladle nice and low in the pan and then a small twist of the wrist, slowly pour into the centre. DO NOT move the ladle all over the place. If you keep the ladle pouring the batter into the centre of the pan it will slowly drift outwards and form a pretty decent circle.
- Dont panic, just watch the pancake cooking, when you start to see small bubbles forming all over the surface and the batter changes colour, its ready to flip/turn.
Alternatives :
Use self raising flour for the American/Drop scone style. (Baking powder/Bicarb not really needed)
Add some caster sugar in the batter for a little sweetness.
My preference is Scotch Pancakes (Drop scones) with a little bit of lemon and sugar. We always eat ours fresh from the pan. Just drop onto a plate and let the kids do what they want. I just keep cracking out the pancakes and they keep giving me empty plates. My Daughter makes awesome pancakes
Happy Pancake Day.