This vintage recipe for American Pancakes comes from my copy of ‘The Dairy Book of Home Cookery’. This pancake recipe is quick and easy and produces a delicious golden, fluffy pancake with crispy bits along the edges and a nice savoury flavour. They are perfect for both savoury meals and dessert. The original recipe suggests serving these pancakes with maple syrup and cream. I like them with a pat of margarine melted over and a drizzle of warmed-up golden syrup.
These may be American Pancakes on an Old British Recipes website, but the vintage recipe originates from an old classic British cookbook. Our old cookbooks have always contained recipes inspired by other cuisines, albeit the recipes were likely tweaked to suit British tastes.
This American pancake recipe is a little different from our Scotch pancakes, as they are less sweet and not as chunky, but they are still thicker than crepes, and have a nice chewy and fluffy texture. They also have a tasty French toast or eggy bread flavour, and are perfect for breakfast or brunch.
The Dairy Book of Home Cookery
The original recipe can be found in the British vintage cookbook ‘ The Dairy Book Of Home Cookery; Celebrating 50 years Of The Classic Cookbook‘ Anniversary Edition (2018) on page 183 under the ‘Batters‘ section. This copy of the book is the 5th Edition.
The first edition was published in 1968 and it was originally compiled by the Milk Marketing Board and was actually sold by milkmen doing their daily rounds, so chances are, if you grew up in the UK, someone in your family has a copy tucked away although it may well be worn, splattered with food and near to tatters!
This vintage cookery book is packed with everyday homely recipes intended to help ordinary home cooks. It was written by home economist Sonia Allison and aimed to make home cooking simple and affordable. It’s one of those cookbooks that has been passed down through the generations and stands the test of time, as many people today still regularly refer to it for their everyday cooking. I picked up my copy from my local Scottish charity shop, so it’s always worth a look in your local charity shop for these old British cook book gems.
I will be testing and sharing more recipes from this cookbook book so do bookmark the blog so you don’t miss out on any of our recipes.
American Pancakes
Equipment
- sieve
- mixing bowl
- measuring jug
- A non-stick frying pan suitable for cooking pancakes or a pancake maker
- cooking spatula
- balloon whisk or cutlery fork
Ingredients
Pancakes:
- 25 grams butter or margarine, melted [1 oz]
- 225 grams plain flour or all-purpose flour [8oz]
- 4 teaspoons baking powder ensure that the measurement is levelled out with a knife, i.e. no heaped teaspoons of baking powder
- 4 teaspoons granulated sugar or caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium-large eggs
- 350 millilitres milk [12 fl oz]
For frying:
- butter, enough to cook all the pancakes
Instructions
Prepare pancake mix:
- If using a pancake maker, you can preheat it while preparing the pancake mixture.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.225 grams plain flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder
- Stir through the sugar and salt.4 teaspoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the eggs, melted butter, and milk to a jug and whisk with the balloon whisk.25 grams butter or margarine, melted, 2 medium-large eggs, 350 millilitres milk
- Heat your frying pan on the stovetop over a medium-hot heat.
- Pour the egg mixture into the mixing bowl with the flour mixture, and mix well with the balloon whisk until smooth.
Cook pancakes:
- Melt some butter in the heated pan.butter, enough to cook all the pancakes
- Pour a ½ cup of(60 millilitres) of pancake mixture into the frying pan.
- Once bubbles have nearly covered the pancake surface, flip it over. Cook this side until nice and golden.
- The number of pancakes you cook at once will depend on the size of your pan. I used a pancake maker and cooked three pancakes at once.
- To keep warm, place the cooked pancakes in a warm oven on a heat-proof plate or baking tray, covered with baking paper, until all the pancake mixture has been used.
Serving suggestions
- The original recipe suggests serving these pancakes with maple syrup and cream. I like them with warmed-up golden syrup drizzled over. Or at room temperature, spread with butter or margarine and fruit jam.
Notes
- The original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of salt, but I decreased this to ½ teaspoon as I didn’t want the pancakes to be too salty.
- I also increased the sugar from 1 teaspoon to 4 teaspoons. This didn’t make the pancakes sweet, so if you prefer sweeter pancakes, you can adjust the recipe.
- Instead of butter, I used Flora margarine, which worked fine both for the pancake mixture and for frying the pancakes.
- I used an electric pancake maker, which is a non-stick hotplate, but I still added a small pat of margarine while frying the pancakes for the added flavour and texture this brings.
- The original recipe states that the recipe will make 8 pancakes; however, I cooked 13-14 pancakes (the last one was smaller). The number of pancakes you will yield depends on the size you make them.
- The original recipe instructions state that when adding the pancake mixture to the pan to pour in enough mixture to make a 5-inch pancake with a depth of 5mm or a ¼ inch thick.
- Calorie calculation is an estimate only and does not include any margarine, butter or oil that may be used to cook the pancakes. The calculation is based on preparing 13 pancakes; if more are prepared, the amount of calories will decrease.
- To store pancakes in the refrigerator: Let the pancakes cool completely, then layer them with baking parchment or greaseproof paper in between to stop them sticking together. Pop them in an airtight container or wrap them well. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To freeze pancakes: To freeze, follow the same layering method with parchment paper, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- You can reheat pancakes straight from frozen. Just pop them in the toaster, oven, or microwave.
- Reheating: Microwave: 20–30 seconds (depending on your microwave wattage) for one or two pancakes. Oven: Wrap in foil and warm at 180°C/350°F for 10 minutes. Or warm them up in the toaster. Electric pancake maker: Warm each side until they are to your liking.
- Top tip: It’s always worth checking the date on your baking powder every now and again, as stale baking powder will affect the finished result.
Do let me know what you think of these American pancake recipes by leaving a comment. Also, if you would like me to test an old British recipe, leave a request in the comments with your suggestion.