If you were to argue that Shrove Tuesday is the nation’s favourite day, I can’t imagine that anybody would argue with you. Quite frankly, I would be seriously concerned if somebody didn’t enjoy a National Holiday that requires you to eat copious amount of pancakes. Whether you’ve got a sweet tooth or you prefer your savoury foods, there’s a pancake recipe out there somewhere for you.
So, where did it all begin…?
Pancake day or Shrove Tuesday traditionally marks the feast held one day before Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. It is a Christian tradition, however, due to the popularity of pancakes, most people christian or otherwise tend to join in with the festivities. Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter, the time that Jesus spent in the desert fasting and resisting temptation; it is seen as a time for Christians to reflect, repent and pray as a way of preparing their hearts for Easter. Easter Sunday, which is 47 days after Shrove Tuesday, represents Jesus’s resurrection from the grave after the crucifixion. The name ‘Shrove Tuesday’ was given because ‘shrove’ is the past tense of the verb ‘shrive’, which means to confess or impose a penance.
A traditional English pancake is very thin and served immediately, with golden syrup or caster sugar and lemon juice. Whilst these will always be great combos, we don’t really see the harm in mixing things up a bit. So we’ve gathered together the greatest, most weird and wonderful pancake recipes that are floating around this February!
So, why pancakes? Well, besides the fact that they are flippin’ delicious (see what I did there?) there’s actually a reason they are the traditional food for this holiday. Beside the fact that it was the only logical choice to eat all the foods that wouldn’t be allowed during Lent, such as meat, dairy products, eggs, sugars and so on, so they didn’t go to waste, the ingredients also symbolise four important points for Christians at this time of year:
Eggs – creation
Milk – purity
Flour – the staff of life
Salt – wholesomeness
Did you know…?
-In France, it’s customary to touch the handle of the frying pan and make a wish whilst the pancake is turned or flipped, whilst holding a coin in one hand.
-The earliest pancakes date back 12,000 years ago, they were made from ground grains, nuts and milk.
-The record for the highest pancake toss is 31ft 1in, made in New York 2010. (flippin’ crazy, right?)
-The record for the fastest ever Marathon run, whilst continuously tossing a pancake, is 3 hours 2 minutes 27 seconds.
-Around 52 millions eggs are used in the uk on Pancake day, thats 22 million more than usual.
Before you get crepe crazy, we believe it’s vital that you get your basics right. Before you start to bake, you’ll need some special pancake tools, like a whisk, batter bowl and pancake pan.
Luckily, here at Silver Mushroom we have all the things you would possibly need. Our beautiful Mason Cash batter bowl even has 50% off, so you can make the perfect pancakes this Tuesday. Now for the nitty gritty. You wouldn’t build a house without a solid foundation, would you? Well, we believe having the perfect pancake recipe is every bit as important. You can thank Nigella for these two:
Classic Crepes
Ingredients:
-30 grams unsalted butter melted (plus more for frying)
-150 grams plain flour
-325 ml milk
-1 large egg
Method:
1. Melt the butter and let cool a little.
2. Put the flour, milk and egg into a blender and whiz to amalgamate. Pour into a jug and stir in the melted butter. Otherwise, just pour the flour into a bowl, whisk in the egg and milk and finally, just before making the crêpes, the melted butter.
3. Heat a seasoned crêpe pan (I like to melt some butter in one first, and then wipe it all off) and ladle 2–3 tablespoons of batter into the pan then quickly hold it up and swirl so that the batter forms a quick, thin pancake covering the base of the pan. This will cook in a minute so flip it and cook for 30 seconds to a minute on the other side, then remove the pale crêpe to a layer of baking paper.
4. Continue with the rest of the batter. This is the work of moments, and crêpes, ready filled, or empty, reheat very well in a microwave.
Fluffy American Pancakes
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1 pinch of salt
-1 teaspoon white sugar
-2 large eggs (beaten)
-30 grams butter (melted and cooled)
-300 ml milk
-225 grams plain flour
-butter for frying
Method:
1. The easiest way to make these is to put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz. But if you do mix up the batter by hand in a bowl, make a well in the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, beat in the eggs, melted butter and milk, and transfer to a jug: it’s much easier to pour the batter into the pan than to spoon it.
2. Heat a smooth griddle or pan on the stove.
3. When you cook the pancakes, all you need to remember is that when the upper side of the pancake is blistering and bubbling it’s time to cook the second side, and this needs only about 1 minute, if that.
Now you’ve got the basics perfected, we can get a little more creative, and when I say a little, I most definitely mean a lot!
So, there are many variations of toppings you can add to these recipes. For example, you could go with the classic toppings like lemon juice and caster sugar, or maple syrup. These are some of my favourite combinations:
-strawberries and whipped cream.
-bacon and maple syrup (trust me, it tastes better than it sounds!).
-natural yoghurt with honey and fruit.
-ice cream with sprinkles.
-Nutella with…well, more Nutella. I don’t believe you can have too much of the stuff, the same goes for peanut butter.
You literally can add anything your heart desires, get as creative as you like! I thought I’d crank things up a notch, lets have a look at changing the batter recipe shall we? So, if you read our previous blog ‘Top 10 tips: new year, new you’ then you are probably aware of the benefits of eating a healthy balanced diet. After scanning all the recipe books in my kitchen, of which there are a lot, I realised that all the recipes were loaded with sugar and all sorts of ingredients that I didn’t really fancy putting in my body. So I have tweaked all of these recipes slightly, making them a little more ‘clean’ yet every bit (if not more) delicious. Lets get started!
Oreo Pancakes
Yes, you read that correctly, Oreo’s in pancake form. I can’t take credit for this recipe, as much as I’d like to, it’s from the brilliant Katie, of Chocolate Covered Katie. I have adored her blog for years and it just keeps getting better and better. They have super ‘clean’ versions of practically any dessert you can imagine. These pancakes are filled with fibre, protein, calcium, magnesium and probiotics, making them a healthier choice for your Shrove Tuesday feast. Don’t be put off by the ingredients, Katie uses vinegar in a lot of her baking, this is because it creates a lightness that can sometimes be lost when using whole-grain ingredients.
One last thing to note about Katie’s recipes is that they are all single serve, so if you are cooking for others, or if you are just very hungry, be sure to increase the ingredients accordingly.
Ingredients:
-1/2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
-5 tbsp milk of choice
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-34g spelt flour (or all-purpose or gluten-free all-purpose)
-3/4 tsp baking powder
-1/8 tsp salt
-1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
-1 stevia packet or 1 tbsp sugar
-1-2 crushed Oreo-style cookies or Healthy Oreos (check out this recipe, it’s SO worth it)
-80g vanilla yogurt of choice
Method:
1. In a small measuring glass, combine first four ingredients and whisk. Set aside.
2. Combine next 5 ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
3. Place a non-stick pan, greased with either oil or oil spray, over medium heat. While it heats, turn your attention back to the food: pour wet into dry and stir until just mixed. (Don’t over- mix.)
4. Then cook your pancakes (I did mine in two batches), adjusting the heat a little lower if necessary. Flip when bubbles appear and the sides are just cooked enough to flip without breaking.
5. Meanwhile, combine the final two ingredients, then spread on cooked pancakes. Recipe makes 7-8 silver dollar pancakes, as shown in the photos.
Protein Pancakes
This next recipe is for all you gym goers; the famous Protein Pancake! Perfect as a healthy breakfast or post-workout snack., this is probably one of the most simple recipes I’ve come across on Bodybuilding’s recipe archives, with only four ingredients and a very simple method. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup raw oats
-1/4 cup cottage cheese
-1/2 scoop protein powder
-1/2 cup egg whites
Method:
1. Blend all the ingredients until a batter forms. Pour over a hot greased griddle.
2. Flip when the edges start browning.
3. Serve with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter and top with almonds.”
Whole Wheat Brown Sugar Banana Bread Pancakes (what a mouthful)
This next recipe is my go-to pancake recipe. As a lover of banana bread, this one just does it for me. Be warned, this recipe is addictive and will throw you into a food coma if you have one too many. It’s totally worth it though. Not quite as ‘clean’ as the previous recipes, but if you can’t be a little naughty on pancake day then when can you?
This is from another brilliant blog, by Jessica Merchant of How Sweet it Is She even throws in her recipe for Vanilla Maple Glaze- how sweet. So, in the style of Jack Johnson, lets go make some Banana Pancakes.
Ingredients: (this makes 12 pancakes)
-2 cups whole wheat flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-2/3 cup milk
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-3 large ripe bananas, mashed
-2 tablespoons butter, melted
Method:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Measure out the milk and add the vanilla extract to it.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add in milk and vanilla, stirring to combine. The mixture will still be dry. Add in mashed bananas and mix. Add in melted butter and stir until batter is somewhat smooth.
3. Heat a skillet or grilled on medium heat. Using a 1/3 cup measure, spoon batter into rounds and cook until bubbles form on top – about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for a minute or two more. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve hot with butter and syrup, or the vanilla maple glaze:
-1/2 cup maple syrup
-3/4 cup powdered sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Pour over pancakes.
Four Cheese Pizza Pancakes
Last, but definitely not least, heres one for all the cheese lovers. Savoury pancakes are not as popular as the sweet sugary combinations that the majority of people run to, however, we believe this recipe could be a serious game changer.
It comes from the life-style blog, The Big Mans World. This is a fantastic blog, especially for recipes. I feel like they really understand my desire (need) to add cheese to anything and everything.
Ingredients:
-1 cup gluten free oat flour (can sub for standard white, wholewheat)
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1 tbsp Italian mixed herbs
-1 large egg, lightly whisked
-1/2 cup cottage cheese, blended*
-1/2 cup milk of choice
-1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
-1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
-2 T sharp parmesan cheese
-2 T tomato sauce
-Add ins of choice (I used 1/4 cup diced onions, diced bacon and a chopped tomato)
-Red pepper flakes (optional)
-Extra basil for sprinkling
-Cooking oil/spray
Method:
1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sea salt, mixed herbs and stir until combined.
2. Add the egg, blended cottage cheese and milk and mix very well until a thick batter has formed.
3. Stir through the mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, tomato sauce and any add ins of choice and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Heat a large frying pan on low heat and coat with oil/cooking spray. Once searing hot, pour batter 1/4 cup at a time and add a dash of parmesan cheese to it. Spread the batter out and cover immediately. Once bubbles start to appear on the edges, flip and cover once more. Remove once golden on top. Repeat the process until all the batter is used up.
5. Serve immediately with marinara sauce and a sprinkling of basil on top.
I’d like to finish off by wishing you all smashing Shrove Tuesday. Be sure to try one, if not all, these recipes. I can’t stress just how good they really are. I’ll let the finished results speak for them selves! Tag us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with your Pancake pictures.
