Pancakes
Looking for a traditional British Pancake recipe? These thin English-style pancakes are simple to make with just flour, milk and eggs, and are perfect for Pancake Day. Serve with lemon and sugar, golden syrup or your favourite sweet toppings.
When we talk about pancakes here in the UK, we mean the thin, delicate kind – not the thick, fluffy stacks, topped with butter & syrup. These are traditional British pancakes (often called English pancakes), made from a simple batter of flour, milk and eggs. No raising agents, no fancy ingredients. Just a smooth batter cooked thinly in a frying pan until lightly golden and ready to roll or fold.
They’re much closer to crepes than American pancakes or Scotch Pancakes. Soft, thin and perfect for loading up with toppings, they’ve been a staple in British kitchens for generations – especially on Pancake Day.
Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, falls on the day before the start of Lent in the Christian calendar. Historically, it was a way to use up rich ingredients like eggs and milk before Ash Wednesday. Pancakes were the obvious answer, being simple, economical and made from ingredients most households already had in the cupboard and wanted to use up to avoid the temptation of eating them during Lent.
These days, most of us lean far more into the Pancake Day traditions than the religious meaning behind it. It’s about gathering round the kitchen, flipping pancakes (some better than others…), and debaing the best toppings. Lemon and sugar is the real classic, with Golden Syrup being another staple choice. Nutella and strawberries are proving popular in recent times, with bacon and maple syrup increasingly making an appearance. And there are those who enjoy a savoury pancake, too – not for me when the sweet options are already so good!
But the recipe itself remains true to its history: plain flour, milk and eggs. That’s it!
Tips for Shrove Tuesday Pancakes:
• Rest the batter: Resting after mixing allows the flour to fully hydrate and the gluten to relax, which gives you smoother, softer pancakes. If you’ve got the time, an hour is best. Or, even better, make the batter the night before, pop it in the fridge (covered), and make your pancakes in the morning – just give the batter a light stir to mix any natural separation.
In a rush? Even 10 minutes rest helps.
• The batter should be thin and pourable: British pancake batter is much thinner than American pancake batter. It should coat the back of a spoon but still run off easily. If it feels thick, add a splash more of milk or water.
• The first pancake is a tester: Don’t judge the whole batch on pancake number one! The pan temperature usually settles after the first, so use it as your “practice flip” and don’t be disheartened if it’s not perfect first time.
• Use a medium heat – not high: Too hot and they’ll brown too quickly and turn rubbery. Too low and they won’t colour properly. Medium heat gives you that classic golden lacy pattern. Again, it may take a pancake or two to get the ideal temperature sussed.
• Swirl in the pan quickly: As soon as the batter hits the pan, lift and tilt the pan in a circular motion so the batter reaches the edges. British pancakes are meant to be thin, round and pan-sized.
• Lightly grease between batches: A quick brush of butter/margarine between every pancake prevents sticking and keeps them even and golden.
• Keep them warm: Stack the cooked pancakes on a clean teatowel and lightly wrap them. This will keep them warm but also stops them from crisping up too much.
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English Pancakes
INGREDIENTS
- 220 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 400 ml Milk (dairy, soya, oat…)
- 100 ml Water
- 2 Free-range Eggs
- Butter or Margarine (for oiling the pan)
EQUIPMENT
- Ladle
- Frying Pan
INSTRUCTIONS
- Sift the flour into your bowl, holding it at a bit of height to allow some air into the flour.
- Mix the milk and water together. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs & a little of the milk mixture. Whisk until combined. (It will initially be thick and lumpy – don’t panic!) Gradually add the remaining milk mixture, whisking as you do, until you have a smooth, runny batter – you may not need all of the liquid.
- Set your batter aside to rest whilst you prepare your pan(s).
- Place your pan(s) on your hob over a medium heat and allow them to warm up. After a few minutes of warming, brush a little butter /margarine onto the pan.
- Using your ladle, spoon the mixture into your hot pan, tipping it from side to side to spread the batter into a circle that reaches the edges of your pan.
- Let your pancake cook until it appears dry on top and the edges have begun to crisp a little. Then flip your pancake with a spatula, or the fun way!
- Allow the underside to cook for a minute or two more before removing from the pan and serving straight away with your favourite toppings.
- Repeat with the remaining mixture.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
NOTES:
Storage:
Cooked British pancakes can be stored in a freezer bag or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper between each pancake to prevent sticking.Freezing:
These English pancakes freeze well. Stack with greaseproof paper between each one, wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature, then reheat gently in a dry frying pan or microwave.Make Ahead:
The pancake batter can be made a few hours in advance, even overnight, and kept covered in the fridge. Whisk briefly before cooking, as the mixture may separate slightly.Reheating:
Warm pancakes in a dry frying pan over low heat for 20-30 seconds each side, or microwave in short bursts until heated through.Substitutions:
You can use all milk instead of milk and water if preferred – the water simply keeps the pancakes lighter and more delicate. Milk alternatives, such as soya or oat, also work well in this recipe, if you want them to be dairy-free.British pancakes (also called English pancakes) are thin, crepe-like pancakes made from flour, milk and eggs. Unlike American pancakes or Scotch pancakes, they don’t contain any raising agent, which keeps them flat, soft and flexible – perfect for rolling or folding with sweet or (savoury!) toppings.
British pancakes are thin and delicate, similar to French crepes. American pancakes are thicker, fluffier and made with baking powder (baking soda) to help them rise. British pancakes are traditionally served with lemon and sugar on Pancake Day, while American pancakes are often stacked and topped with maple syrup and butter.
Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, falls on the day before Lent begins. Historically, it was a way to use up rich ingredients like eggs and milk before Lent, and pancakes were a simple way to do that.
Don’t panic – it often starts that way! Whisking gradually and adding the liquid slowly helps prevent lumps. Just keep whisking until there are no lumps – if this takes a while, try to let the batter rest for a reasonable time to compensate for the extra whisking.
Rubbery pancakes are usually the result of overcooking or cooking on too high a heat. Keep your pan at a steady medium heat and cook until slightly crispy on the edges and just until lightly golden on each side.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-Free: To make these gluten-free pancakes, you can try swapping the plain flour for a good-quality gluten-free plain flour blend. The texture may be slightly different and you may need a little extra liquid. I haven’t tested this myself but if you do, let me know how it turns out!
Dairy-Free: To make these dairy-free pancakes, replace the milk with a plant-based alternative such as oat milk, soya milk or almond milk, and use dairy-free margarine to grease the pan. The flavour may vary slightly depending on the milk used.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
With thanks to Naomi Seiler for creating these photos.
