Brilliant tips for perfect pancakes
Flippin' brilliant tips

Give flour a good airing

A light hand for fluffy pancakes

The sparkling water tip

To rest or not to rest?

A recipe will often say to rest the batter for 20 minutes before cooking. This enables the starch grains in the flour to expand, giving a lighter batter. But if you don't have time, it won't make a huge difference. If, however, you're using buckwheat flour, it's best to make the batter the day before and leave in the fridge overnight. This will help lighten what can be a rubbery texture.
Love this? Follow our Pinterest page for more food inspiration
Should I use butter or oil?

Pimp up a pre-made batter mix

Punchy flavours

Invest in the right pan

The first one nearly always fails

Don't panic if your first thin pancake ends up in a soggy mess. It always takes the first one to get your pan at the correct temperature and to judge the correct amount of batter. It happens to the best of cooks.
Try tangy buttermilk

Shop-bought buttermilk is simply milk with lactic acid cultures, making it tangy and acidic, in a good way. It helps a mixture rise when making scones, for example. In a pancake batter, it adds lightness and gives a creamy texture. Make your own by adding a squeeze of lemon juice to skimmed milk and leaving it to curdle.
French-style savoury crêpes

The wafer-thin, savoury pancakes you find in France are the traditional Breton-style, made with buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is not wheat flour at all, but actually a member of the rhubarb family. Pancakes made with 100% buckwheat can be a bit rubbery, so it's best to mix in some plain flour and rest the batter to lighten it.
Less is definitely more

When you're making super-thin pancakes, such as for the classic dessert crêpes Suzette, less is more when adding the batter to the pan. With less batter, you're more likely to end up with beautifully thin pancakes. You can always spoon in a bit more batter to fill any gaps.
When to flip

The best way to keep pancakes warm

Top tip to get ahead – freeze them

Classic crêpes in 10 minutes

Now you know all the tricks and tips for a perfect pancake, try our classic recipe. It's super quick and easy. Serve with fresh lemon juice and sugar, or be indulgent with chocolate spread and raspberries as a filling.
Flourless pancakes

You can also make pancakes without any flour. Instead, use mashed bananas, oats, eggs and a touch of baking powder to lighten the mixture. Simply whizz up all the ingredients in a blender and top with fried bananas, nuts and honey – a filling start to the day.
Vegan pancakes

Soufflé pancakes

Crispy Vietnamese crêpes

Banh xeo are super-thin and deliciously crispy Vietnamese pancakes made with rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric, which give them their gorgeous golden colour. Stuff with prawns, chicken, bean sprouts and herbs, and dip into soy or your favourite dipping sauce.
Brilliant blinis

Baked stuffed pancakes

Stuffed pancakes covered with a rich béchamel sauce, lots of cheese then baked in the oven until the topping is crisp, takes a simple crêpe to a main course meal. You can vary the stuffing – meat ragù, mushrooms, and spinach and ricotta are great options. The latter is the classic filling for Florentine pancakes, which as well as the béchamel sauce, has tomato passata too.
Fancy a chocolate pancake?

Please don't add chocolate chips to your pancake batter! The chocolate will just burn as soon as it hits the heat. To give a chocolate flavour to pancakes, replace 1tbsp flour with 1tbsp cocoa powder. Once the pancakes are cooked, you could drizzle them with melted chocolate, some honey and toasted hazelnuts.
Chinese duck pancakes

Savoury chickpea pancakes

This tasty chickpea flour pancake snack is popular in southern France where it's called socca and in Italy where it's farinata. It couldn't be easier to make – just a mix of chickpea flour, water and a little olive oil. Season well with plenty of salt and pepper.
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature