BRUNCH! Glorious brunch. Is there any better meal?
I could write a book on brunch recipes, I’ve made so many. I utterly adore lazy weekend mornings, they’re possibly my favourite time. Still in pjs, mixing and stirring, weighing and baking, frying and sizzling. Making coffee, drinking coffee. The huge weekend papers. What’s not to love?
This weekend, both brunches were the same. I rediscovered the joy of American Style Pancakes, those gorgeous pancakes that are fluffy and light, with crispy streaky bacon and ridiculous amounts of maple syrup. The sweet soft pancakes are gorgeous with the crispy salt bacon. The maple syrup is the magical cherry on top.
The recipe is very easy, it’s all about 1′s. 100 ml flour, 100ml milk, 1 big pinch salt, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 heaped tsp baking flour 1 egg. I use Old Cotswold Legbar eggs which are large, so use a large egg to substitute if you can’t get them. They are deliciou though, seek them out if you can.
This recipe will give you enough pancakes for one greedy person – 3 or 4 depending on how big you like them. The batter will be quite thick, you want it to be, but it will be fluid enough to pour, plop and spread.
Fry and devour greedily while you read your paper, or watch your omnibus. Hey, I’m not going to judge you! Weekend mornings are glorious and for the lazy. I hope you’ve enjoyed yours :)
American Style Pancakes with Bacon & Maple Syrup
Serves 1 – multiply as required
Ingredients
100ml milk
100g plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1 tsp brown sugar
a generous pinch of sea salt
1 egg, separated into yolk and white
bacon – streaky for me, but whatever you prefer, and as much as you want to eat. I had 6 slices.
Maple syrup
butter, for frying
Method
Sift the flour and baking powder. This is important as the sifting introduces air and will make your pancakes fluffy instead of leaden.
Whisk the egg white until it stiffens and forms soft peaks.
Add the salt and sugar, and create a well in the middle. Place the egg yolk in the centre and add the milk. Stir until you get a batter consistency which has no lumps.
Fold in the egg white gently taking care not to knock out the air you’ve introduced.
Grill the bacon and keep it warm in a warm oven while you cook your pancakes. About 100 degree celsius should suffice.
Heat a frying pan to a medium/high heat. Melt a knob of butter and add a ladelful of pancake mixture. Drop from a few inches above andit will spread to form a circular pancake, or close enough to one.
They will cook quite quickly. As soon as you see bubbles in the batter they are ready to flip. They will cook quickly on the other side too and will need just a minute or so. Take a peak, if browned, they’re done.
Keep warm in the oven with the bacon while you cook the rest of the pancakes, adding each pancake to the oven as they cook.
To serve, stack the pancakes with bacon in between and on top. Drizzle the maple syrup on top to taste. And you’re done.
Enjoy!
This is my favourite brunch bar none (although could swap pancakes for French toast & be quite happy too). Would be up there on my list of final meals, and would certainly make my final breakfast/brunch without a doubt. We quite often have this on Boxing Day, just to keep the calorie levels topped up!
Ah yes, I actually think this is perfect for lazy holiday mornings over Xmas. Mmmmmm! Thanks for the comment :)
that sounds blissful!! roll on next weekend :) Having just found soda farls and potato bread gracing the shelves of my local (welsh) shop I’m on a bit of a run with brunches!
Hi Pip! It was lovely. Btw – soda farls are dead easy to make and better made at home (of course :) http://eatlikeagirl.com/2010/07/25/a-fine-brunch-homemade-soda-farls-morcilla-eggs/
Oh my GOD woman!!! How can you do this to me!!! This looks divine. Thanks for the inspiration! Xx
Haha! Enjoy. :)
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
:) Thanks Lou!
How funny, made our favourite brunch yesterday and it is… Puff apple pancake with bacon and maple syrup! ;)
Based on a Bill Granger recipe:
http://tummyrumble.hultberg.org/2009/08/puff-apple-pancake.html
So tasty! Completely with you on the lazy brunch days.
How funny! I have a version with cinnamon apples which I am posting next weekend :) Will check k out your recipe too :)
Oooh, cinnamon apples. Just had lunch, but the thought of cinnamon apples made my mouth water. Again. ;)
Arnaud’s absolute favourite.
Getting Lucie started on these young as well. We also sometimes try thinly sliced pancetta which is gorgeous.
YUM! :)
Oh my, oh my, oh my…and to think I’ll only be able to make this in January, next year since all my weekends until then are fully booked. But I promise I’ll get the best bacon Switzerland can make and have the best brunch ever. Thanks a lot for the recipe!
No problem, Bianca! Enjoy it :)
looks fab but one quibble, bacon goes on the SIDE ;)
QUIBBLE WIBBLE! These are my pancakes and this is how I do them. Crunch & salt between the pancakes is perfect.
firstly, i apologise, i’m too lazy to google. but – are scotch and american pancakes essentially the same batter? i adore scotch pancakes, but haven’t had them since my childhood.
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