Traditional Pancakes

Ingredients

Method

Mix salt with the flour, then put into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the eggs and about 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture. Pull a little of flour down from the side and mix with the eggs. Keep doing this;
gradually adding a little more flour and milk mixture and mixing well between until all the flour has been incorporated. Make sure all lumps of flour are broken up.

Keeping a quarter of a pint of the liquid to one side, add the remaining liquid to the batter mix and beat well with a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer to incorporate as much air as possible into the mix. The more it is beaten at this stage the lighter your pancakes will be. Now stir in the remaining liquid and add one teaspoon of the vegetable or corn oil.

Now wash and cut the lemon in half through the centre, then in quarters, then again so you have 8 wedges.
Set on one side while you prepare your pan. Pour a little oil into the pan and swirl it around, making sure you take the oil a little way up the side of the pan. Now pour off any excess oil. (make sure you wipe the outside of
the pan so there is no oil there to catch fire!)

Heat your pan over a medium to high heat until really hot. Dip a ladle or cup into the batter mixture and half fill it. Pour this into the pan, quickly swirling it around the base as you pour. Try not to get the mixture up the sides. Leave the pan on the heat for about 1 minute - you will see bubbles rising on the surface of the mix and it drying out. Shake the pan and if the pancake moves it is ready to turn over.

NOW FOR THE FUN PART. Here in the UK it is traditional to toss the pancake up in the air to turn it over! For the less brave and more house proud, turn it over with a wide fish slice. The pancake should be golden with
slightly deeper brown markings on it and be quite crisp at this stage. When you have flipped the pancake, allow it to cook for about half a minute on this side as it just needs to brown off.

Tip out onto a plate and squeeze the lemon juice all over. Sprinkle with sugar to taste, roll it up and eat immediately.

Re oil the pan, pour off the excess and then add fresh mixture.
This amount of mixture should make about 20 pancakes, either reduce the amount if you want to make less or freeze the batter for another day.
The ideal to aim for in pancake making is that they be so thin to be almost transparent! But don't WORRY or give up if your first attempt ends up as a soggy mass in the corner of the pan - this very often happens to us all.

You have plenty of batter so just start again, it will come!!
In my family I make a pancake for everyone in turn, then one for myself, taking the pan off the heat while I eat. Then I start all over again!!!

Kindly contributed by Moya Page

If you have any Recipes which are endemic to Hampshire, and you would like to share them on these pages please email me.

26th May, 2002