Famous amongst friends across the world are my pancakes. Comfortable, tasty, and simple.
There are actually two versions of my pancakes known amongst friends. The first type are the ones I’ve been making the longest and are based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. They are American-style pancakes that work well for a brunch.
The second type are the more traditional Dutch pancakes, which can be filled with vegetables, cheese or apple. These are the pancakes I used to make for friends during my internships abroad.
I have very fond memories of both types of pancakes. I used to eat the American-style pancakes with friends while studying in Zwolle, where the pancakes fuelled the projectwork that lay ahead of us. The Dutch pancakes remind me of hours behind a stove, a large pile of pancakes next to me, and a kitchen filled with friends who are all enjoying the meal and time together.
Who doesn’t love pancakes? Here are my recipes.
American-style pancakes
I learned this recipe from Jamie Oliver while watching a food programme on Dutch television. At the time, I didn’t really speak English yet so I did not realise that ”a cup” of self-raising flour actually referred to a specific measurement. So instead of weighing the ingredient, I used a large coffee mug. You know, the type of mug you see used in tv shows or that you can personalise when looking for gifts. It worked out well and I haven’t looked back since.
Ingredients
- 1 mug self-raising flour
- 1 mug milk
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt
- Butter or oil to bake
Let’s bake!
Note that American-style pancakes are smaller than Dutch ones. So when you pour the batter into the pan, you don’t have to spread it out. By using self-raising flour, the pancakes will also become thicker, but stay fluffy.
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until you get a smooth batter.
- Heat some butter in a pan.
- Once the butter has melted and the pan has heated up, add half a soup spoon of batter to the pan.
- Bake for a few minutes until the top of the batter shows small air bubbles. Turn the pancake.
- Bake the pancake for another 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom has browned.
- Remove from the pan, set aside, and repeat steps 2-5 until you’ve finished all the batter and you have enough pancakes for brunch.
- Serve the pancakes with your favourite toppings — brown sugar and fruit (banana, strawberry, blueberries) or Nutella is my favourite!
Dutch-style pancakes
The recipe below is a basic recipe. If you want to make a filled pancake, such as a delicious apple pancake, you will need to add the filling first after the butter has melted (such as thin slices of apple) and then pour over the batter. Always use a little more batter to make sure your filling stays firm inside the pancake.
Ingredients
- 250 grams flour
- 500 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- Pinch of salt
- Butter or oil to bake
Let’s bake!
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until you get a smooth batter.
- Heat some butter in a pan.
- Once the butter has melted and the pan has heated up, add a full soup spoon of batter to the pan.
- Spread the batter by gently rocking the pan back and forth (left, right, up, down) so that the batter spreads all over the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for a few minutes until the top of the batter shows small air bubbles. Turn the pancake.
- Bake the pancake for another 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom has browned.
- Remove from the pan, set aside, and repeat steps 2-6 until you’ve finished all the batter and you have enough pancakes for brunch.
- Serve the pancakes with your favourite toppings — a rolled pancake with powdered sugar and a layer of jam on top is my favourite!