This year, Pancake Day is 16th February. Here are some recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert pancakes for a flipping good Pancake Day.
First things first though, you need a good batter to use as the base for your pancake creations. You will need 100g plain flour, 2 large eggs and 300ml milk, to make 6 pancakes. (You can multiply this recipe up if you live with more people or fancy pancakes all day.) You can make the batter the night before to make sure it’s ready for you when you want it, or make it on the day but leave it for 30 minutes before frying. This allows the gluten to relax and starch grains to swell, meaning when you cook the pancakes, they are more likely to be fluffy and light.
Breakfast
There are some classic breakfast pancake combinations, to suit a sweet or savoury palate. For sweet pancakes, you could top your basic pancake with a handful of berries and some syrup. For a sweet and sour mix, you could top with blueberries, lemon zest and a dollop of crème fraîche, giving you a well-rounded flavour. Perhaps you want to combine sweet and savoury in your breakfast, which is where you would look to the American classic of pancakes with bacon and syrup. Or, if you’re feeling fancy and have a bit more time (and money), you could top your pancakes with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. All of these breakfast ideas would be a great—and delicious!—start to your day.
Lunch
For lunchtime, think of the pancake as a tortilla wrap that you’d use for your lunches. This means that you can fill it with anything you want. Whether you like chicken and bacon, ham and cheese, or goat’s cheese and caramelised onions, they can all make a tasty lunch on your Pancake Day. Add a side salad with your favourite salad leaves and vegetables, plus a tasty dressing to make a full plate of deliciousness for your lunch.
Dinner
In a similar vein to lunch, you could use the pancakes to make Mexican quesadillas, which are normally made with tortilla wraps. To make a quesadilla, you’ll need two ready-made pancakes and ingredients for the filling. For a Mexican-inspired filling, you could use refried or black beans, salsa, jalapeños and cheese. To make the quesadilla, you put the first pancake in a pan, add your filling, then put another pancake on top to sandwich in the filling in between. Put the quesadilla on to a baking sheet to melt the cheese in the oven; you don’t want to burn it on one side in the frying pan. After a few minutes, take it out of the oven, cut the quesadilla into four pieces and serve with guacamole, sour cream and more salsa. This is a simple and tasty dinner recipe in general, but this Pancake Day twist makes it the perfect dinner.
Dessert
The big one. On Pancake Day, pudding is the pièce de résistance. There’s the classic crêpe topping of lemon juice and sugar, which balances the sweet and sharp perfectly. If you fancy something a bit more decadent and rich, you could add Nutella or chocolate sauce, strawberries or bananas, and top with your favourite ice cream or whipped cream. If you prefer a tropical and fruity dessert, you could add melon, mango, pineapple and passionfruit with some coconut ice cream.
Hopefully, these ideas provide you with some inspiration for your Pancake Day cooking. Whether you want to eat pancakes for every meal or just once throughout the day, there are so many ways you can enjoy pancakes! Happy Pancake Day!
