Sweet lacy pancakes

Every year we make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and wonder why we don’t make them more often. Most often we make a simple batter like this classic, but this year, we have tried something a bit different.

The addition of yeast, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder to this batter gives these pancakes their distinctive, holey appearance, almost like a thin crumpet, offering more cavities for your chosen topping. We serve ours with our own salted caramel spread and a dollop of crème fraiche, but these would work just as well with traditional lemon and sugar. Take care not to overload the pan with butter as the pancakes fry and use a non-stick frying pan if you have one. 

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Stir through the sugar, yeast and salt. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and crack in the eggs. Pour the milk and water into the well too and whisk until smooth. Cover and transfer to the fridge for an hour, or overnight.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat for a few minutes. Add a sliver of butter to the pan and tilt and swirl the pan to coat it in melted butter. Pour ½ a ladleful of batter (about 30ml) into the centre of the hot pan and immediately start to tilt it in a circular motion to thinly coat the pan with the pancake batter, so the round is about 15cm in diameter. You should see holes start to form on the surface straight away. After 3 minutes or so, the surface of the pancake should look dry. Carefully lift the pancake out of the pan with a spatula, without flipping and transfer to a warm plate. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter, adding a sliver more butter if the batter sticks and browns in places.

Stack the cooked pancakes between layers of baking parchment to prevent them sticking together.

Serve a few pancakes per person (they are thin, after all), with salted caramel spread and crème fraiche, to serve.

IMAGE + RECIPE: Anna Shepherd 

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