So it’s Shrove Tuesday again – and that only means one thing – PANCAKE DAY! I’ve used the same old recipe for pancakes for many years. It’s on a mucky, dog-eared photocopy of a recipe from an old leaflet (or was it cut from a magazine? – honestly I can’t remember), so I thought it was about time I put it out there for everyone to enjoy – and to ensure I don’t ever lose it!
The old recipe I have is actually entitled “French Crepes”, but I think they are perfect to use as traditional pancakes and have always used them as such. If you think of them in terms of pizza, where traditional English pancakes are “regular crust” and the thick US style ones are “deep pan,” that makes these delicious ones “thin and crispy!”
They are really easy to make and the best thing is of course, they translate really well to a gluten-free diet, simply by using GF flour and, because they don’t use milk, they are dairy free too.
Serve them with your favourite topping such as lemon and sugar, maple syrup and bananas, caramelised apples, jam, nutty chocolate spread or even grated coconut and lime. They don’t taste”sweet”, so you could even use them with your favourite savoury toppings too! I love ham and grated mozzarella in mine.
This amount of batter makes about 8 pancakes, but it really depends on how much you use for each one. I generally cook them up in a batch and keep them warm. You can use baking paper or greaseproof to separate them (I use Lakeland’s Parchment Circles which are ideal) and a tea towel over the top to keep them warm. They can also be frozen and heated up in the microwave as required.
Gluten-free/Dairy-free Pancakes ( makes about 8 )
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 150g GF plain flour (I use Doves Farm)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tsp sunflower oil
- 150ml water
- 150ml orange juice
Method
- Whisk the eggs with the flour, salt and oil. Add the the liquids gradually and whisk well until a smooth batter is formed.
- Leave the batter to stand for 15 minutes, then whisk again.
- Heat a 20cm/8in pan to medium hot (use a really good non-stick pan if you have one.)
- Add a drop of oil and rub well with kitchen paper* to coat the surface.
- Pour in about 2-3 tablespoons of batter and swirl it around to coat the surface, don’t worry about the occasional hole and try not to let it go up to the edge of the pan.
- After about 45-60 seconds the pancake edge should start to brown. Loosen it carefully with a fish slice or palette knife and turn it over (no flipping required!)
- Cook the other side for 30-45 seconds.
- Refresh the oil in the pan if necessary (you don’t need much) and repeat with the rest of the batter until all the pancakes are cooked.
- Serve hot with your favourite topping.
*Use a few sheets scrunched up to avoid burning yourself and keep a bowl at the side to put the paper in between uses
