Pancake Day – or Shrove Tuesday – rolls round every year, to the fun of flipping pancakes! Here’s how to make them – and how to cheat! And why we celebrate Pancake Day in the first place. They’re easy and cheap to make from scratch and it’s fun to do, especially if you’re feeding children.
How to Make Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday
Pancakes are simple and cheap to make. The trick is a really hot pan – preferably non-stick!
Ingredients:
- 8oz flour
- 2 eggs
- milk (skimmed/semi-skimmed is fine)
- water
- oil for cooking
How to make quick and tasty pancakes:
Put the flour in a bowl, break in the eggs and mix. Then add enough milk to make the mix the consistency of thick double cream, probably about half a pint.
Then add about half a pint of water so that the mixture is quite runny. You’ll find it easier if you use a hand mixer or a stick blender.
Put the finished batter in a jug.
You’re supposed to use plain flour, but I’ve always used self raising to no ill effect. It just makes them a bit more bubbly!
Tips and Tricks
Pancake batter is one of those recipes that you can make by eye, without having to weigh out exact measurements of ingredients. If the batter is really thin you’ll get thin, crepe pancakes. If it’s a bit thicker you’ll get a thicker pancake – it’s your choice!
It’s better to prepare the batter early and leave it in the fridge to rest for a while. Even half an hour is long enough, but you could prepare it earlier in the day.
Get your frying pan really hot, and use about a teaspoon of oil per pancake – even in a non-stick pan you’ll get a better result. Olive oil or sunflower is best. Use an oil that’s quite tasteless – but not butter as it will burn. You can pour the batter into the pan from the jug. Or if you have one, use a ladle. That way you’ll control how much you use – and you’ll not dribble all over with the jug!
Put enough batter in the pan to swirl it around in a thin coating. If your mixture is a bit thick at this stage you can add a bit more water.
The first pancake is usually a duff! The pan’s not hot enough, the mixture too thick, too much/not enough batter etc! You can tell that it’s cooking when the edges go translucent and start to curl upwards. Use a food slice to peek underneath and check that it’s brown enough, and then turn it over. Flip if you dare!
Serve with your choice of topping
When life gives you lemons…
How do you like your pancakes?
I like orange juice and sugar on mine. Sometimes I include a swirl of chocolate sauce….
Lemon and sugar is a traditional choice. Whether you prefer sweet or savoury, the variations are endless.
How to Cheat at Pancakes
Short on time, patience or confidence? You can get ready-made pancakes in most supermarkets. Buy them fresh and chilled from the fridge like the ones below, or get them from the bakery counter.
You’ve probably also seen the plastic shaker bottles, complete with dry ingredients. Just add liquid (water/milk) and shake, then cook your own. To be honest, if you’re going to cook them yourself, it’s probably better to make your own batter!
Why do we celebrate Pancake Day?
Like many traditions, Pancake Day is rooted in age old tradition and religion.
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. Because it’s tied to Lent, the date changes each year.
Lent is the 40 days before Easter. It’s a period of reflection and preparation with fasting from food and festivities – marking Jesus’ sacrifice when he went into the desert for 40 days. It’s then followed by the celebrations of Easter.
So Shrove Tuesday is a last day of celebration and a chance to indulge yourself, using up all the foods that aren’t allowed in Lent. Including eggs, fat and milky foods – which are all used to make pancakes.
Other sweet and cheap recipes to try:
- Bread and butter pudding
- Fairy cakes
- Grandma’s parkin
- Homemade rice pudding
- No-steam baked Jam Roly Poly
Why don’t you check out Trevors Foodservice – it’s the large, back-stage business that’s quietly feeding the Fylde Coast! They’re Blackpool’s number one wholesaler of chilled, frozen and ambient foods. And also sell cleaning materials, catering disposables and equipment.
The family firm was first established in Blackpool in 1962. It sells branded products and their Country Range, specially made for the 12-member buying group which Trevors is part of.
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