An easy pancake recipe with lemon and sugar
This easy pancake recipe is timeless and one to reach for at any time of year – you can serve it with lemon and sugar for the perfect Pancake Day treat, though we think it works any day of the year for breakfast (or even dessert!). For those with a slightly sweeter tooth, consider extra accoutrements like banana, fresh berries, cream or syrup.
What is the trick to making good pancakes?
The secret to making good pancakes – think those lacy thin crêpes – is to make the thinnest batter you can and have a very hot pan at the ready. If the batter feels too thick, add more milk until you have a better consistency – it should flow quite easily when you tip your mixing bowl. When the batter is poured into the pan, it will spread easily to form a delicate film, and you can aid this by turning the pan from side to side to help move the batter evenly around the surface. It’s also helpful to let the batter rest for at least half an hour if you can; if you want you could make it the day before and keep it in the fridge overnight. Just give it a good stir before using, adding a little water if it has thickened slightly.
Can you use any flour for pancakes?
In short, yes. While plain flour is the usual go-to you can get pancakes made from buckwheat flour like this Breton galettes with ham, cheese and fried egg or rice flour like you can find in this Gluten-free pancakes with blueberry compote.
This recipe will give you a European-style thinner crêpe-like pancake; if you’re looking for a smaller, fluffier version, check out our American pancakes recipe.
Find more delicious pancake recipes here.
Ingredients
10-12 crêpes
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Sift the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Put the milk, water and eggs into a jug and whisk well.
Step 2
Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the milk mixture, a little at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon to gradually bring the flour in from the sides until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter back into the jug and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3
Melt the butter in the frying pan you are going to use to cook the crêpes, then pour it into the batter. Give the batter a good stir, it should have the consistency of single cream. If not, add a little more water. The pan will now have a good film of butter in it for you to cook your first crêpe.
Step 4
Make sure the pan is really hot and pour a small amount of batter from the jug into the pan, tilting it all around as you go so that the batter spreads in a very thin layer over the bottom. Any extra batter you can pour back into the jug.
Step 5
Cook for a minute or so until small bubbles appear on the surface and then use a spatula to gently ease the sides of the crêpe away from the pan. Carefully turn and cook for another minute on the other side.
Step 6
Use a piece of kitchen paper to rub a tiny bit more butter into the pan before cooking each crêpe.
Step 7
Pancakes can be made in advance and reheated easily. Just stack the cooked crepes on top of each other and cover with baking parchment or cling film and store in the fridge until needed. To reheat, put them in a low oven or heat individually in a frying pan with some butter.
