Ingredients
3 cups plain flour
1 1/4 litre milk
200g unsalted butter
for orange syrup
¾ cup caster sugar
for orange syrup
2 tbsp orange rind
for orange syrup
2 cups orange juice
from 2 oranges, for orange syrup
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 saucepan
- 1 non-stick frying pan
- 1 spatula
Instructions
- To prepare the pancake batter, pour the plain flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Pour 1 litre of milk into the well and begin to mix through with a whisk. Add the remaining milk if the mixture seems too thick – the batter should have the consistency of melted ice-cream or thin paint.
- Once you have the right consistency, whisk vigorously for 3 minutes to get rid of any small lumps of flour in the mixture. Set aside for half an hour.
- Meanwhile, to make the syrup, melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat then add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved.
- Add the orange rind and the juice and combine. Bring the mixture to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken to a syrup.
- To make the pancakes, melt a small knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan. Pour about half a cup of the batter into the frying pan and gently swirl so that the base of the frying pan is covered by the batter. Cook for approx 2 minutes or until the underside is golden brown – you should be able to see air bubbles rising up on the uncooked side of the pancake.
- Using a spatula, ease around the side of the pancake to loosen it and then flip it onto the uncooked side. Cook for a further one minute.
- Place on a plate and fold into quarters. Drizzle a little of the orange syrup over the pancake and serve immediately.
Notes
Tip
Pancake batter made the day before is often nicer and smoother than same-day pancakes.
Tip
It's a good idea to discard the first pancake of every batch as it tends to absorb flavors from the pan.
Tip
You can use an oil spray on the frying pan instead of butter if you like.
Variation
The orange syrup gives these pancakes a fancy twist but you could of course just serve them with butter and maple syrup or that other classic, lemon juice and sugar.
Storage
Store leftover batter in the refrigerator.
