Family Feed’s simple, fluffy pancake recipe

Some weekends I treat us all to an indulgent breakfast of pancakes. It’s often not planned which means that I need a recipe that’s simple and I’m likely to have all the ingredients to hand. Both Jim and I have travelled a fair bit in the States and we love how they do pancakes. So we needed a recipe that produces that fluffy, light pancake that we know and love. This is our simple, fluffy pancake recipe.

This recipe is tried and tested. It’s consistently good and easy to make. If you have a big pan you could save yourself the effort of keeping your pancakes warm in the oven but I don’t so we wait and the anticipation builds. But it is worth it for the results.

I found this recipe on another blog about a year ago. Over time I’ve adjusted the ingredients to suit our tastes. I have also made these without the sugar and I think they are still good. We get four big pancakes from this mix. Which is plenty, especially if you choose to make it with sides of bacon, scrambled eggs and maple syrup.

We often eat a late breakfast at the weekend, and then we won’t eat again until the evening meal. It is filling so keep that in mind when you make them. We also love serving pancakes with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on the side. I show you a few pictures of that in the video below but this recipe is all about the American style with streaky bacon and chunky scrambled eggs. The Americans do their scrambled eggs differently. It’s not better or worse. For me, it just depends on what I am eating. I prefer a finer, slightly undercooked scrambled egg if I’m not having it with pancakes. But in this setting, it really does have to be the way the Americans scramble their eggs. Watch the video to see what I mean.

This recipe is inspired by a story of friendship and the connection to America. I’m dedicating this post to our wonderful friends Leah, Alex and their two gorgeous boys. They have recently emigrated to the States to start an exciting adventure as Alex embarks on his MBA this week. This post pays homage to that journey and our friendship. We hope that the start of this adventure is filled with courage, love and wonderful people to help you along the way.

Leah and I met at Farm Tots with our eldest children. We bonded over a free cuppa at the end and instantly I felt comfortable in Leah’s company. We share lots of common ground and yet that is nicely punctuated by our differences too. Our journey in motherhood has been similar and that shared experience has brought us closer. We both had tiny babies in the pandemic which was no walk in the park… literally, we couldn’t even do that at points! In my opinion, one of the most important parts of early motherhood is having access to a community of support, wisdom and love from other women who are sharing that experiences. Leah and I weathered the ups and downs of lockdowns, babies and toddlers through virtual connections.

We shared so many experiences ‘virtually’ as we navigated the soaring highs and traumatic lows of this last year and a bit. We have been in touch most days to support and champion one another as women. Having a female friend who is always cheering you on and who listens with no judgments and pure love is a powerful thing.

Between the covid restrictions easing (enough to have in-person time together) and Leah leaving we had about a month of IRL experiences. We had family play dates, birthday parties, dinners, fire pits in the garden while the children slept and a wonderful dinner cooked by Alex. It was our very first night out since our youngest was born and the food was second to none! We crammed a lot into that month and I’m so glad we did because now normal business resumes and our IRL friendship is swapped back to its virtual equivalent again.

Leah and I are still in touch most days despite the 5 hour time difference. We send videos and pictures and we still create a space to share and talk, a space to listen and a space to support one another. We are wishing all the love, luck and happiness for Leah, Alex and the boys and I’m going to say, watch this space for an upgraded American pancake recipe once Leah has found her way around her new kitchen!

If you are in need of a payday pick me up, this simple, fluffy pancake recipe is the perfect way to kick start your weekend. We hope that Leah and Alex have found some decent teabags ahead of their weekend.

Family Feed’s simple, fluffy pancakes

Gemma

Some weekends I treat us all to an indulgent breakfast of pancakes. It’s often not planned which means that I need a recipe that’s simple and I’m likely to have all the ingredients to hand. Both Jim and I have travelled a fair bit in the States and we love how they do pancakes. So we needed a recipe that produces that fluffy, light pancake that we know and love. This is our simple, fluffy pancake recipe.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the pancakes

Dry ingredients

• 160 g self raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp caster sugar I make these without especially if I know we are having chocolate spread and strawberries on the table
• a pinch of salt

Wet ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter when I measure this mine is heaped and I measure the unmelted butter
• 1 large egg
• 240 ml whole milk

Sides – you can serve your pancakes however you like here are some suggestions.

• mixed fresh berries
• icing sugar gently dusted
• mapel syrup
• scrambled eggs
• streaky bacon
• chocolate spread and strawberries
• greek yogurt and berry compot
• a knob of butter
• sliced banana

Instructions

 

• Weigh out your dry ingredients and sift them into a bowl. I always sift my dry ingredients twice in this recipe. Give the dry ingredients a stir and set aside.
• In another bowl add your butter and melt it. I melt mine in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Your microwave might be different so keep an eye on it as you don't want it to burn.
• In a large bowl add your milk and crack your egg into it. When the butter is melted add that too and give it all a gentle whisk.
• Add your dry ingredients to the large bowl with the wet ingredients in and mix until it is just combined. It is really important not to overmix. Set the bowl aside.
• Add a knob of butter to a non-stick frying pan and put it over a medium heat.
• When the butter is sizzling spoon your pancake mix into the pan and gently manipulate the mixture to spread it a little bit wider. I make big pancakes and fewer of them. You can choose what size you want to make although I have tried smaller ones and they don't turn out as fluffy.
• On a a low to medium heat, fry your pancake for about a minute. Keep your eye on it as you don't want it to burn. As the pancake is getting ready to turn you will see little bubbles forming on the surface of the batter. You can always have a sneak peek by gently lifting the pancake to see the other side.
• The first side should be golden after about a minute. Adjust your heat to ensure it doesn't cook too quickly and burn. Gently turn the pancake using a spatular and cook for roughly the same time on the other side. The timings may vary if your pancake is thicker or thinner than mine. Use your judgment, no one wants a raw pancake in the centre.
• I transfer my pancakes to the oven as soon as they are cooked. I set the oven to 50-70ºc just to keep them warm while I make the other pancakes and prepare the sides. You can make a few at a time in a bigger pan but my bigger pans have deeper sides making it a pain in the arse to flip.
• Check out the video for tips to serve your pancakes with bacon and scrambled eggs – American style

Video

Keyword bacon, maple syrup, pancakes