Orange syrup pancakes

Serves:

Ingredients

• 3 ¼ cups plain flour
• 1 ¼ litre milkOrange syrup
• 200g unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 tbsp orange rind
• Juice of 2 oranges, approx 2/3 cups

Method

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, melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat then add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved.

Add the rid 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

• My husband has been making pancakes for me since we first met and he has tried every variety of recipe available over the past decade. He swears that eggs, sugar, salt etc are completely unnecessary when it comes to making a thin crepe like this recipe. Flour and milk is all you need – promise!
• Because our whole family loves pancakes, we make a lot of batter. And as a consequence, this recipe will give you a lot of pancakes! The upside is that pancake batter the day after it is made, is often nicer and smoother than same-day pancakes.
• We always throw the first pancake of every batch in the bin – it usually absorbs the flavours of the frying pan and subsequently tastes weird… and does anyone like an onion and garlic flavoured pancake?!
• You can use an oil spray on the frying pan instead of butter if your like.
• 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.
• This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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