4 Easy Pancake Recipes Perfect for Pancake Day

Holy crêpe!

With Pancake Day just around the corner, we thought it might be a good idea to share a few recipes with you to treat yourself and your family. Pancakes are delicious in any form, and, luckily, you no longer have to limit yourself to just eating the traditional kind. From flourless pancakes with a few ingredients to savoury pancakes you can have for dinner, the options are endless!

Here are four recipes, each special in their own way: American style, gluten-free banana walnut, South African (Dutch) style and savoury corn pancakes. Try them for yourself for a flippin’ good pancake day!

American Style Pancakes (Yields 15-20 medium sized pancakes)

Most commonly associated with American style diners, these pancakes are easy to make and this basic recipe can be altered to any thickness or consistency. You can add chocolate chips, blueberries, nuts or whatever you’re craving. Bacon, anyone?

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups of flour
• 10 ml baking powder
• 3 ml salt
• 25 ml granulated sugar
• 200 ml milk (can also be substituted with 100 ml milk and 100 ml water)
• 1 egg
• 10 ml oil
• optional: blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts etc.
• oil for frying

Method

1. Sift together all the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Mix the egg with the milk and oil.
3. Mix all the ingredients together. At this point you can add any of the optional ingredients.
4. Allow the batter to rest for a couple of minutes. (Transfer the batter into a 1L measuring jug for easy pouring.)
5. Heat a pan to medium heat. Add about 10 ml of oil and allow it to heat up. Once heated take a paper towel and soak up the excess oil. There should be just enough oil in the pan to make the bottom of the pan shiny. (This is a good trick for all pancakes!)
6. Pour the batter into the pan in a steady stream. To make the pancakes even in size, I pour and then count down five seconds.
7. Fry the pancakes until you see that the top starts to dry and the bubbles burst on the surface. Flip them over and fry for 1-2 minutes more.
8. Once done stack them on a plate and cover (this is the trick to getting soft, silky pancakes) Covering them allows them to steam a little which gives these pancakes a lovely texture.
9. Serve with syrup, bacon, Nutella, honey, or anything you desire.

South African Pancakes (makes 20)

Ok, so technically these delicious thin pancakes are originally Dutch, but I am South African and they are as part of my heritage as much as dim sum is to Hong Kong. I am sharing a recipe that has been handed down for generations in my family. Similar to crêpes, these pancakes are thin but not as buttery, and they are rolled up after being filled. They are also not very sweet so they can be served with savoury fillings, such as minced beef or creamy chicken, but most often they are seasoned with a simple mixture of cinnamon and sugar. In South Africa, they are sold freshly baked, wrapped in wax paper and ready to be eaten hot. (P.S. This mixture also freezes very well for pancake emergencies, mama!)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 ml salt
• 2 eggs, large
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 12.5 ml lemon juice
• 25 ml oil
• oil for frying

Method

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together in one bowl and in a separate bowl whisk all the wet ingredients together including the 25ml of oil.
2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour all the liquid in the centre.
3. Mix until the mixture is completely smooth. Cover with a tea towel and allow the mixture to stand covered for 15-20 minutes.
4. Heat a medium sized frying pan and add 10ml of oil, you can use a kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil before adding any batter.
5. Add the batter to the pan by pouring and at the same time gently tilting the pan so it covers the bottom in a thin, even layer.
6. As soon as you see bubbles appear on the surface the pancake can be flipped over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the pancake is loose in the pan.
7. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and roll up. Serve with a slice of lemon.

Gluten-Free Banana Walnut Pancakes

If the thought of using flour made you worry, we have an easy to make gluten-free pancake recipe just for you! All you need is eggs, ripe banana and baking powder. (Note: I added a hint of vanilla essence.) These pancakes are simple, but they are a little tricky to flip, so be patient and make sure they are properly cooked before you turn them over.

Ingredients

• 3 large bananas, ripe to overripe
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• optional: 90 ml crushed, unsalted walnuts
• 5 ml vanilla essence
• oil for frying

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, crack in the eggs and add in baking powder. Whisk well to combine.
2. In a separate bowl mash the banana with a fork. Make sure that there are still chunks of banana, the mixture shouldn’t be too fine.
3. Add the egg and baking powder mixture to the bananas and mix well. At this point you can add the walnuts if you wish.
4. In a frying pan, heat about 5ml of oil for frying. Add a tablespoonful of the mixture to make small pancakes (easier to flip). Over a medium heat, cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
5. Serve with walnuts, fresh banana, honey, or syrup (Team Sassy is loving The Noble Handcrafted Vanilla Bean and Chamomile Blossom Maple Syrup from Crafted 852).

Savoury Corn Pancakes (serves around 8 pancakes)

These pancakes are a play on traditional cornbread. They are perfect to serve with a sharp cheddar cheese, but they taste even better with some homemade chilli, topped with fresh avocado or some guacamole. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup flour
• ½ cup cornmeal or polenta
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sweetcorn, cooked
• oil for frying

Method

1. In a medium bowl sift together all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, water, oil and egg.
2. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until smooth but be careful not to over mix.
3. Add the corn and gently fold in.
4. Heat a frying pan with about 10 ml of oil. Pour about 5 or 6 tablespoons in the frying pan. (I pour with a measuring jug for seven seconds)
5. Cook until the surface of the pancakes have start to show some bubbles, the underside should start to brown.
6. Flip over and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
7. Serve with cheese, chilli and guacamole or pulled pork.

Try out a few of these recipes on pancake day and keep them handy for those
lazy Sunday mornings!