American pancakes are one of those delightful dishes that warm your heart and put an instant smile on your face. A popular weekend brunch treat, they are easy to put together and can be enjoyed in many different ways, from savoury snacks to sweet and indulgent offerings.
What makes American pancakes different from the crepe style offering, typically devoured in France and the UK, is the addition of baking powder in the batter to make the pancake rise into a light and fluffy round rather than being enjoyed as a large, thin and flat crepe. And what is so appealing about pancakes is, not only their versatility, as touched upon above, but the fact that the ingredients are cheap to buy and that they are so easy to make too. Even the most underperforming home cook can whip up a simple batter and produce a pile of these gorgeous weekend staples, and if you don’t think this is the case, then we are here to prove you wrong.
Firstly, you need to grab yourself the below ingredients and we’ll show you how to make some delicious American pancakes in no time. And what we love about this tried and tested recipe is that you can make some simple swaps if you fancy a dairy-free treat and they’ll still taste just as delightful.
You will need (for 10 pancakes, which can offer a hearty helping for two):
120g plain flour
2tbsp caster sugar
2tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
2tbsp butter (plant based spreads like Flora work really well here too)
2 medium eggs
240ml milk (you can swap it out for a nut milk here)
Oil for cooking
A syrup of your choice – they aren’t American pancakes without a drizzle of syrup, and we can’t get enough of Monin vanilla syrup.
Other extras such as crispy streaky bacon, a selection of juicy berries, natural yogurt, banana, or if you’re making up a dreamy dessert add a dollop of ice cream with a drizzle of your favourite syrup. We particularly like a combo of strawberry ice cream with the Monin vanilla syrup but you can mix and match your combos to suit your taste.
Top tips
Before you start to whip up your batter and brighten up your brunch, there are some top tips to consider first to ensure your American pancakes are as tasty and fluffy as they can possible be.
– Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
– It is important to combine your dry ingredients first, then your wet ingredients in a separate bowl to this before combining the two.
– Do not overwork your batter (don’t worry about little lumps).
– Be sure to let the batter rest before cooking.
Method
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder (both sifted), sugar and salt. Make a well in the middle and set aside.
Pop your butter or spread in a small bowl and zap in the microwave to melt – remember you want it melted not boiling hot so keep an eye out for this. Add your milk of choice and then the egg and whisk together.
Gradually add your wet mixture into the well of the bowl with the dry ingredients in and stir until combined. Remember to not overwork your batter as this can make your pancakes turn out tough and chewy and this is not what we want.
Set the batter aside to rest for a few minutes and heat up your pan with some oil over a medium heat. You can use a non-stick frying pan here or go all out with a cast iron pancake pan, which evenly distributes the heat – you will need more oil if not using a non-stick pan.
Spoon 2-3 tbsp of batter onto your pan and cook for about a minute or once you see bubbles appear all over, grab a spatula and flip your pancakes, cooking the other side for another minute. A tip here is to cook three at a time if you’re not too fussy about them coming out perfectly round and you’d like to eat them sooner!
Once ready, keep them warm on a plate with kitchen foil wrapped over it and repeat until the batter is used up. Enjoy with a selection of your favourite toppings.
