It has taken me years to perfect the cooking of pancakes so I want to give you some tips and then my favourite pancake recipe which is suitable either for breakfast , brunch, lunch or even supper.
Pancakes although cooked flat they can be rolled or made into a kind of envelope which you can place any filling of your choice and depending on the stuffing they can be sweet or savoury. They can be served as an everyday meal (breakfast, dinner or supper) or served at parties.
Traditionally they were cooked on 2 February for Candle mass and on Mardi Gras. For some reason Poles seem to think that British people like our pancakes filled with ham and leeks but I would say we usually like them as a dessert with a sweet filling or just sprinkled with sugar or honey. Hungarians love pancakes and they take a pride in their palascinta filled with almond paste and covered with chocolate and cognac; the French love their crepes Suzette with mandarin oranges and curacao; the best American pancakes are filled with bananas and covered with rum.
In Poland traditionally pancakes were filled with cottage cheese mixed with orange peel or currants but nowadays all kinds of pancakes are popular in Polish cuisine, both sweet and savoury.
Sweet pancakes are generally sprinkled with alcohol just before serving and then ignited and served flambe.
Although pancakes are a very simple dish to prepare there is a certain skill to making the perfect pancake batter and once made they can be fried and then kept covered in the fridge for several days.
Pancake batter should have the consistency of thick cream; if it is too thick, the pancakes will be thick and hard; if it is too thin, the pancakes will break and it will be impossible to turn them over in the pan. It is difficult to give the proportions of the ingredients because everything depends on the size of the eggs and the dryness of the flour. So experience is very important in making pancakes.
After making the batter as a test you should fry one pancake: if it is too hard, add more water, and if it is too thin, add more flour.
The classic proportions for pancake batter are 3/4 glass of sifted flour, two eggs, 1.5 to 2 cups of liquid, a pinch of salt and a pinch of nutmeg (can be omitted).
For savoury pancakes, you can use beer mixed with water; for sweet pancakes you can mix the water with cream or cream cheese (except that pancakes of this type should not really be rolled up, but only folded into flour).
For really thin pancakes (sometimes known as biscuit pancakes) use whole eggs and carbonated mineral water; for thick and fluffy pancakes you should first add egg yolks with milk or milk and water, and then fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
If you make biscuit pancakes, it is a good idea to divide the batter into two portions: fold in half of the beaten egg whites into the first portion and fry pancakes from it, and then do the same thing again so the pancakes will be equally puffy.
If you want to make exceptionally fluffy pancakes, add a pinch of baking powder to the flour but not more than a 1/4 teaspoon.
Always remember that the pancake batter should be free of lumps!
Here is my perfect method:( I write with confidence).
First sift the flour into the bowl, break in the eggs and then whisking all the time, gradually add the liquid, then cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest for at least an hour. Since the batter will get thicker, just before frying mix it up again thoroughly and if necessary dilute it with some water, yogurt, milk or beer.
If the pancakes are to be really exceptional, the flour and liquid should be mixed only with the yolks of the eggs, and the whites beaten up and folded in separately. You must also add some fat to the batter: for sweet pancakes - melted butter, and for savoury pancakes, olive oil or lard (if people still use lard).
Colouring the pancake batter gives excellent results both in the taste and appearance; this can be done with juice from spinach, beetroot, tomatoes, with a pinch of saffron soaked in alcohol, or even carrot juice. For sweet pancakes served as a dessert or as a main light supper dish, the batter can be flavoured with rum or liqueurs.
Like every workman you need to have a good tool - the pan! Relatively thin-bottomed pans with an absolutely flat bottom are best for frying pancakes. Before frying, the pan should be heated well, salt sprinkled on it and then the heated salt poured off, the pan wiped with a clean cloth and smeared with bacon rind or brushed with some melted butter.
Ladle some batter into the hot pan, spread it over the whole surface by a circling movement of the pan, and fry on a fairly low heat. When the batter browns lightly, turn the pancake onto the other side (by tossing or turning with a spatula) and then when fried slide it on to a plate.
When all the pancakes are fried, they can be stuffed with filling and folded into flour, folded into an envelope or rolled up. They can then be fried lightly again or baked in the oven; you can also coat them with egg and breadcrumbs and deep fry them. Sweet or savoury gateaux can be made from fried pancakes and they can also be cut into fine strips and used to garnish soup.
Now here is my recipe for Hazelnut and Honey Pancakes which can be eaten for breakfast or brunch.
This recipes will make enough pancakes for 4 people.
Ingredients
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3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsps runny honey
3-4 tbsps ground hazelnuts
clarified butter for frying
caster sugar for sprinkling
Prep time: 15mins
Resting time: 25 mins
Frying time 20-30 mins
Method
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Beat the eggs with the honey and buttermilk, add the sifted flour and baking powder and whisk for a minute or two longer, then leave the batter to rest. Add the hazelnuts and mix thoroughly. Before serving sprinkle with caster sugar.
Obviously only try this recipe out if you don't have a nut allergy. They are delicious, truly delicious.