Six delicious recipes that'll up your breakfast game
February 16th 2021 marks Shrove Tuesday - or as it’s probably more commonly known, Pancake Day. Traditionally the day to use up all of your store cupboard goodies and have one last feast before the traditional fasting of Lent. These days, most of us just enjoy an excuse to eat pancakes for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and when there’s so many ways to enjoy them, who could blame us?
We’re searched high and low and done the taste-testing for you, to uncover our six favourite pancake recipes, including gluten-free, vegan and savoury options, to help you enjoy your best-ever Pancake Day.
Image: BBC
Classic crepes
Fresh, soft and delicious - a classic crepe-style pancake is the quintessential way to enjoy Pancake Day, and the easiest kind of pancakes to whip up in moments at home, so ideal for getting the kids involved too.
Ingredients (makes 12):
110g plain flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
2 medium eggs
200ml milk, mixed with 75ml water
50g butter
Caster sugar
Lemon juice
Lemon wedges
Method
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, and then break the eggs into a well in the centre of the mix. Whisk together until fully combined.
Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mix, whisking continuously until you have a smooth batter.
Melt the butter in a frying pan, and spoon 2 tbsp into the batter and whisk it together. Pour the butter back out into a bowl, and use drops of it before each pancake to make sure they all cook evenly.
Get the pan really hot, turn the heat down to medium and then start making your pancakes - you might need to make a test one to check on sizing etc.
Spoon about 2 tbsp of batter into the pan, and immediately swirl it around the pan to create a thin base pancake. After thirty seconds, flip it over, and then slide out onto your plate.
Serve with a dusting of caster sugar and squeeze of lemon juice.
Recipe by Delia Smith, from BBC.co.uk
Image: Tesco
Scotch pancakes
Just like your granny used to make, traditional Scotch pancakes, or drop-scones, are delicious served with butter and jam - the ultimate comfort food, we think.
Ingredients (makes 12):
225g self-raising flour
25g caster sugar
40g butter, melted
1 medium egg
250ml milk
2 tsp vegetable oil
Method
Sift the flour and sugar into a bowl, and make a well in the centre. Add the melted butter, the egg and half the milk.
Mix together, then slowly stir in the remaining milk to make a smooth, thick batter.
Heat a large frying pan until hot. Brush lightly with ½ tsp oil. Spoon 2 tbsp batter on top of each other in the pan to form each pancake (about 8cm wide). Cook in batches of 3 over a medium heat for 1-1½ mins on one side, until small bubbles appear on the surface. Flip and cook for 1 min on the other side until golden, puffed up and crisp on the outside.
Transfer to a wire rack and cover to keep warm while you make the remaining pancakes. Repeat step 2, oiling the pan each time, until you have made 12 pancakes. Serve warm or cold, with butter and jam if you like.
Recipe: Tesco
Image: Recipe Tin Eats
Fluffy blueberry pancakes
The ultimate breakfast indulgence, we just love a plate stacked high with juicy blueberry pancakes and drizzled with syrup. Or, you can switch out the blueberries for chocolate chips if you’ve got a sweeter tooth. Here’s how to make them yourself…
Ingredients (makes 6):
225g blueberries (fresh or frozen, but we prefer frozen)
30g melted unsalted butter, plus a little extra for the pan
150g plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
1 medium egg
185ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white vinegar
Maple syrup to serve
Method
Whisk the dry ingredients together, and then add in your egg, vanilla, milk, vinegar and melted butter, whisking until incorporated.
Stir your blueberries through the mixture.
Melt a little butter in a pan on a medium-high heat, and once the pan is hot, dollop a ladle of mixture into the centre of the pan, and nudge into a circle roughly 12cm wide, but nice and thick.
Cook the pancake for around 90 seconds, until the bubbles appear and the underside is mostly golden in colour. Flip and cook for a further minute.
Keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven whilst you make the rest, and then serve in a stack, drizzled with plenty of gorgeous maple syrup.
Recipe: Recipe Tin Eats
Image: The Roasted Root
Gluten-free blueberry and almond pancakes
If you’re coeliac or gluten-intolerant, that doesn’t mean that you should skip out on the fun of Pancake Day! Our recipe for gluten-free pancakes, made with delicious almond flour, will mean that you can get stuck in and enjoy a feast of your own.
Ingredients (makes 9):
170g almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
175ml almond milk
Blueberries (to serve)
Sliced banana (to serve)
Almond butter (to serve)
Maple syrup (to serve)
Toasted almonds (to serve)
Method:
Whisk the dry ingredients together, and then add in your wet ingredients into a well in the centre. Whisk together until completely combined.
Heat the frying pan over a medium-high heat, and use a little vegetable oil to lightly coat the pan.
Measure out a ladle of batter and pour into the centre of the pan, and cook for two to three minutes on one side, until the mixture firms up and bubbles on the top.
Flip the pancake and cook for another minute on the other side.
Keep the pancakes warm in the oven whilst you make the rest, and serve in a stack with dollops of almond butter, scatterings of blueberries, banana and almonds, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Recipe: The Roasted Root
Image: BBC Good Food
Easy vegan pancakes
Vegan pancakes are just as easy to whip up as the traditional version - a few simple tweaks is all that’s needed to make sure that your pancakes are suitable for everyone to eat and enjoy.
Ingredients (makes 16):
300g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
400ml plant-based milk - oat, almond or soya is best
1 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking
Sliced banana, vegan chocolate chips and plant-based yoghurt, to serve
Method
Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla and salt in a bowl, until fully combined.
Add in the milk slowly and whisk into a smooth, thick batter.
Heat a little of the oil in a pan, over a medium heat. Add 2 tbsp batter into the pan for each pancake - you should be able to make two or three in the same batch.
Cook for three to four minutes on one side, until the edges are set and bubbles appear on the surface. Flip and cook for another two minutes until both sides are golden brown and cooked through.
Serve stacked with lots of toppings of your choice.
Recipe: BBC Good Food
Image: Olive
Smoked salmon pancakes with crème fraîche and capers
If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, or if you’re searching for ways to enjoy pancakes as a main meal, this delicious recipe is a twist on an Eggs Royale. Ideal for a lavish brunch or a nutritious evening meal.
Ingredients (makes 6):
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp chopped chives
4 spring onions, finely chopped
300ml milk
50g melted butter
2 medium eggs, beaten
200g smoked salmon
6 tbsp crème fraîche
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp chopped dill
Method:
Mix the flour, baking powder, chives and spring onions together, and add a pinch of salt.
In a separate bowl, mix up the milk, butter and eggs together, and then whisk this into the dry ingredients, making a thick, smooth batter.
Heat a non-stick frying pan then drop in 1 large tbsp of the batter. Cook until holes appear on the surface then flip over and cook the other side until golden.
To make the dressing, mix the crème fraîche with the lemon juice and capers and half the dill (you want it to drizzle so add more juice if necessary).
Put two pancakes on each plate, top with some smoked salmon then drizzle over the dressing and sprinkle with a little more dill.