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Have you wondered why your pancakes at home never turn out how you want them to? We spoke to a pancake specialist chef and she told all the batter secrets
Pancake Day has officially arrived and while they look easy to cook, many people struggle to make the perfect crepes.
There’s a real knack to making the perfect pancake; it involves the right combination of ingredients, perfect consistency, batter and whisking techniques. And while there are many ways to make them, sticking to simple ingredients will give you the best results, according to one expert.
We spoke to Patricia Trijbits, chef and cofounder at Where The Pancakes Are, who shared her tricks to creating the perfect batter. She swears by the simple ratio of ingredients – one egg, one cup of flour and one cup of milk. Her techniqye is inspired by Jamie Oliver but she has made a few tweaks along the way.
The logic behind the simple ratio is about achieving the perfect balance of structure with each ingredient. And the best thing is whether making a small or big batch you can keep the same consistency even when tripling the recipe.
Each ingredient plays an important role, with flour being the base and gluten necessary, it also helps to give pancakes their shape and springy texture. Too little makes the pancakes easy to fall apart while too much makes them dense.
Eggs are used to bring the ingredients together, the protein helps to set the pancakes while it cooks while the fats in the yolk ensures the fluffy texture. Milk is the liquid that activates ingredients like baking powder, it adds richness and flavour to the batter ensuring a light texture.
This one cup pancake method was introduced by Jamie Oliver, over a decade ago and years later the simple method is a staple for easy pancakes.
Patricia has shared her tweaks she has made to the famous method. She uses one egg, one cup of flour, two cups of milk and either oil or melted butter – still using ingredients which can be found in every household.
At the restaurant, she uses a specific flour, buckwheat. It is packed with fiber and protein and gluten free, while helping with digestion. She swears by that small pinch of salt that people often skip – not just to add flavour, but to give pancakes the lovely golden appearance while balancing out the sweetness.
The next tweak is one we never do at home, but it takes the batter to the next level. The chef leaves her mix to rest and ferment. This allows all the ingredients to interact, allowing the flour to absorb in the liquid resulting in a smooth springy mix.
With a few tweaks, Patricia trusts anyone can master pancakes at home. Once the consistency is nailed, you’re not far from perfecting them every time.
