This year, Pancake Day lands on Tuesday, February 28. The date changes every year as it always falls 47 days before Easter. Pancake recipes were a way to use up the rest of the milk, eggs and butter before Lent. These were rich foods that were typically avoided during Lent.
To make the most out of Pancake Day, here are some tips to make the perfect pancakes, and tips on how to flip them successfully:
What makes the perfect pancake?
Fluffiness
The addition of eggs and self-raising flour in your recipe helps to make pancakes light and fluffy!
Don’t over-mix!
The gluten in the flour starts to develop as soon as liquid touches it- the more you mix, the tougher and more rubbery your pancakes will become.
Non -stick
Non-stick pans that are lightly greased with oil (butter tends to burn) means the pancakes won’t get stuck. Make sure you apply oil with a paper towel, as pouring the oil straight in may be the culprit for unevenly-cooked pancakes.
Top tip: The second side won’t take as long as the first side to cook!
How do you flip the perfect pancake?
If you master the art of pancake-flipping, it will be worthy of a place on your CV. Here are some tips on how to perform a perfect pancake flip:
Make sure the bottom part of the pancake is cooked
You will know it is ready to flip when bubbles appear on the top, and if the pancake moves when you shake the pan.
Put the pancake on edge
When you’re ready to perform the flip, shimmy the pancake to the edge of the pan so that a couple of centimetres of the pancake is over the lip of the pan.
Swish and flick!
It’s all in the wrist. Flick your wrist in a similar motion to how you would when tossing a stir-fry.
Top tip: Once you have the hang of it, you may be tempted to flip again and again. However, this will not do your pancakes any favours and can cause them to deflate.
Ideas for toppings
- Add lemon juice and sugar. (A particular favourite topping of mine.)
- Blueberries and honey
- Chocolate spread and bananas
- Go savoury by adding herbs into your pancake batter, and topping them with
- Bacon and spinach
- Mushroom and cheese
- Feta cheese and red peppers
Happy Pancake Day, everyone!
Be sure to share your pancake triumphs and fails with us on Facebook
2 comments
I really loved this fun blog. It makes me want to go flippin mad with the pancake batter!
Excellent blog Jodie