Pancakes Galore

Simple ingredients for perfect Pancakes

It’s coming up to Pancake Day. Making and eating pancakes is a tradition where people had a last chance to use ingredients such as butter and eggs before the period of Lent leading up to Easter. Grandma Abson always served us pancakes with freshly squeezed orange and golden syrup.  I’ve been looking through her old newspaper cuttings and found a whole range of recipes for pancakes from 1910 where the authors were sent prizes when they got published in the newspaper.  The first recipe is just like Grandma’s. 

Pancakes

‘Three ounces of flour, two eggs, half a pint of milk. Put the flour into a basin, make a well in the centre and drop in the eggs; add the milk gradually and mix with a wooden spoon. Put a small piece of butter or lard in a frying pan and let it get thoroughly hot, pour in enough batter to thinly cover the bottom of the pan and fry to a pale colour, turning or tossing the pancake when the underside is done. Throw on to paper sprinkled with lemon juice and roll up quickly, Serve with quarters of lemon and castor sugar.’

The writer of this recipe Mrs J W Verity of Coalville won a first prize of 5s 6d (= 27½ p)

Very light Melbourne Pancakes

‘Two breakfastcupfuls of flour, two breakfastcupfuls of milk, one ounce of butter (melted), two eggs, one good teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, sugar, lard, half a teaspoonful of salt. Mix the flour, milk, eggs and salt to a smooth batter and let stand for one hour and half, and then add the melted butter and the carbonate of soda, previously dissolved in a little hot water. Fry the pancakes in hot lard until a golden brown, sprinkle with castor sugar and serve.'

Miss Tennant of London won a tin of tea as a prize for this recipe.

Appetising Pancakes

Four tablespoonfuls of flour, half a pint of milk, one egg, pinch of salt and a little nutmeg. Place the flour in a basin, make a well in the centre, drop in the yolk of egg, place the white on a plate, add to the yolk of egg and flour part of the milk by degrees, beat this mixture until it begins to rise in bubbles, then stir in the remainder of the milk. Whip the white of egg to a stiff froth and mix it lightly into the other ingredients just at the last. Melt a little lard in a small frying pan, pour in about half a teacupful of batter, cook it over a moderate fire until it is pale brown on the underside; turn it quickly and when the second side is browned, turn the pancake on to a hot plate, sprinkle with sugar and roll up. Place this on a hot dish. Prepare the others in the same way.

Miss Burnett of Bristol won half dozen embroidered handkerchiefs for this recipe

Chocolate Pancakes

Three ounces of sugar, four ounces of grated chocolate, four ounces of flour, half a pint of milk, two eggs. Mix the chocolate smoothly with cold milk, boil the rest and pour onto it. Return to the pan and stir till smooth, add the sugar and let it cool. Whisk the eggs well, stir into the flour, add the chocolate and let the batter stand till cold. Then fry in fat, sprinkle with sugar, roll up and serve hot.

Miss Gregg of Liverpool won a Dainty Stationery Blotter for this recipe.

Russian Pancakes 

1 ½ oz butter

2 oz flour

2 oz sugar

2 eggs

Grease well with butter 4 large saucers. Place the butter in a basin and beat it to a cream, add the sugar then by degrees the flour, and mix all together thoroughly. Beat the eggs until very light in a separate basin. Then add to the other ingredients lightly and quickly. Half fill the saucers with the mixture and place them in a quick oven and bake for twenty minutes. When ready, turn them out of the saucers, fold them together and if desired, place a little jam or sugar in each. 
Miss Nicholl of Tayport won a Silver Enamel Pendant for this recipe.

Have fun flipping pancakes on Pancake Day!