Never Fail Pancakes

Christi Badenhorst
Never Fail Pancakes recipe

Basic recipe for Never-fail Pancakes – be as creative with the toppings as you like

Ingredients
100g plain flour
2 large eggs
200ml whole or semi skimmed milk
80ml cold water
15g melted butter
Grapeseed or other vegetable oil (but not olive oil)

How to
Measure the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle.

Crack the eggs into the well and add about a quarter of the milk.

Whisk well with a handheld whisk until the batter is smooth and thick.

Add the rest of the milk in thirds, whisking well after each addition.

Add the water and melted butter, whisk well, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. (This stage is important as it makes the pancakes more tender).

Heat ½ tsp of oil in a non-stick frying pan (approx. 28cm wide) on a very high heat. Don’t be tempted to add more oil as it deep fries the edges making them thicker and rubbery.

Hold the hot frying pan away from the heat then take a ladle (or use a jug) to pour just enough pancake batter into the frying pan to thinly cover the base. Tilt the pan to help the batter run over the base of the frying pan. The first one will always be a bit thicker than the rest – it’s a learning process to see just how much batter you need to spoon in.

Place the frying pan back on the heat and wait until the edges start to curl and the centre shows large bubbles – this takes about 40 – 60 seconds. Then shake the pan a little to see if the pancake comes loose. If it doesn’t use a slice or palate knife to loosen the edges.

You can either use the slice/palate knife to flip the pancake over or you can have a go at tossing the pancake in the air to turn it. To toss it make sure all small children and animals are out of the way (!) and hold the frying pan away from your body, pointing downwards at about 45 degrees. With a quick hand movement push the frying pan forwards and upwards which will push the pancake off the edge of the pan furthest away from you. Try and catch the pancake!

Don’t worry if it falls on the floor or flips over folded. Pancake tossing takes a bit of practice!

Fry the other side of the pancake back on the high heat for about 30 seconds, then slip the pancake onto a plate.

Add another ½ tsp of oil to the pan and repeat until all the pancake batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm by separating them with non-stick baking parchment and placing them in a low oven whilst you fry the rest.