Basic pancakes

This is favourite basic pancake recipe which we use, whenever we don't have the pancake jug mix variety from the supermarket.  Which is almost always.  Mum's been trying to avoid buying these since we started using Margaret Fulton's recipe in her book - Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery, which is what it is.  An encyclopedia, which we now refer to for anything that is about food and cooking.   This recipe is great because the ingredients are basic stuff that are always in stock in our pantry.

 

But mum finds Australian pancakes are too thin (most recipes including this one), bordering on looking like crepes, so mum tweaks this a bit by adding just a tad bit more flour, about 1-2 tbsp more, stirring while checking on the consistency.  You want to see a thick but still light consistency.  Which comes out with pancakes that are bit fluffed and not too flat.  Just the way we love it.

To make this basic pancake adapted from Margaret Fulton's Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery:

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

15g melted butter

1 egg

1 and 1/2 cup milk

oil for frying

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add egg, milk, melted butter.  Using a wooden spoon, gradually draw in flour.  Beat well, cover and leave to stand for 1 hour. 

(Mum doesn't usually wait an hour to cook this.  We just mix it then cook away!)

Grease and heat pan.  Pour batter into a jug and pour in enough batter while tilting the pan, to coat the bottom.  Cook for about 1 minute or until small bubbles appear on the surface, then flip over using a metal spatula or toss.  Place cooked pancake on a clean tea towel, fold ends over to cover and continue making pancakes.  Drop each directly on top of the last and fold towel over to cover again.  

(Mum uses a measuring cup to scoop the pancake mix and pour them onto the pan)

Makes 10 - 12x18cm pancakes 

(we don't really care how big or small it is! Ours come out in whatever shape or form.  Sometimes, shaped like snakes and other times, as small as pikelets)

You can double the recipe to make more pancakes.  Best serve with maple syrup and fresh strawberries or any fruit in season!  When we made this for breakfast during the weekend, we tried  it with some figs and kiwi!    A super-duper-picker-upper breakfast!  You can also choose to mix some fruits in there to make: blueberry pancakes, banana pancakes, strawberry pancakes! Whatever takes your fancy!  Maybe even try a chocolate flavoured pancake (add a bit of cocoa powder) or cinnamon flavoured, or how about some savoury pancakes by adding cheese, or some bacon bits and chives!  Endless possibilities!  Same recipe can be used for waffle makers too!