Sunday Pancakes - good on Tuesdays too!

In 'The New International Confectioner', a tome weighing over 2 kilos and filled with literally a thousand recipes all to do with baking and the art of European classic patisserie, there are 19 different types of pancakes listed but all made from basically the same 4 ingredients...flour, butter, milk and eggs..... from a puffed up 'Scotch' pancake, to the classic thin French crepe, to a crepe like pancake called 'pannequets', which is larger than the usual crepe and is filled with cream, creme patisserie...which is a type of thick custard...and a fresh fruit puree or jam.

Everyone seems to have their own preference when it comes to the thickness of their pancake and I am no exception!
When in France I enjoy the classic crepe.....au chocolat of course!, but when at home, I am more partial to the American style of pancake which is what my mother and grandmother would have made. and the one I grew up with.....bring out the 'Betty Crocker'!

Pancakes to our family means more than just 'Pancake Tuesday'. It is a traditional Sunday evening tea when we may have eaten lightly during the day. A picnic may have been had at the beach, a quick egg 'n onion sandwich at a dog or horse show, or if we've been on a cultural visit to some 'big house', national monument or festival.
A day on your feet is not the day to eat a heavy Sunday lunch so by the time we get home everyone is starving so I will whip out my trusty electric griddle and knock up some pancakes.

If possible, I recommend you try to get your hands on some 'Betty Crocker' pancake mix made by Bisquick.....it is an American product and one my family would have used and no one really does pancakes like Americans!.... you just need to add an egg and milk to the dry mix so there's no messing about with the weighing scales required ....you open the packet, whisk it up and its ready to cook .....the resulting pancakes are light, fluffy and addictive........pass the 'real' maple syrup if you please, none of that imitation stuff allowed!

But if you want to go the whole hog and make your own pancakes from scratch, this is a recipe that works every time.
I have been using it for years and the resulting pancakes perfectly puffed in the American breakfast style.....perfect for soaking up oodles of maple syrup! although I never understood the fascination in eating bacon with them.....that's just wrong in my opinion!

you will need:

350 g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

100 g castor sugar

3 really fresh medium size eggs at room temperature

300 mls of full fat milk or buttermilk.....personally I prefer buttermilk for the flavour 

70 g unsalted butter

how to:

• melt the butter gently and leave to cool slightly but don't let it set again
• meanwhile, sieve the flour, baking powder salt into a deep mixing bowl, add the castor sugar and mix well
• in another bowl beat the eggs then whisk in the milk....I like to use a hand blender for this task
• make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the egg/milk mixture
• working from the centre, stir with a whisk slowly drawing the flour in from the outside to the centre
• keep stirring until all the flour is incorporated.....the batter DOES NOT! have to be smooth! floury lumps are fine so don't whisk to firmly lastly stir in the melted butter
• let your batter stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or refrigerate overnight if you want pancakes for breakfast the next day
• heat your non stick griddle to medium or use a non stick frying pan, and dollop on ladle-fulls of the batter
• cook until bubbles begin to form on the top of the pancakes, now flip them over and cook until browned on the underside
• flip again and place on a plate and keep warm or scoff them straight away!