Crempog (Welsh pancakes) (From The Northern Echo)

Crempog (Welsh pancakes)

10:25am Monday 11th February 2013 in Eating In: Recipes

A study says many of us have been shunning pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, so why not get flipping again this year, asks Diana Pilkington

IT’S a tradition that dates back centuries, but it seems the custom of whipping up a batch of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday has fallen out of favour. According to research by Lyle’s Golden Syrup, only half of Britons will be joining the festivities this year – a drop of 25 per cent compared with ten years ago.

A quarter of those surveyed were clueless about how to make a pancake batter from scratch. The reasons given ranged from “can’t be bothered” to fretting that they take “too much time and effort”.

But pancakes come in many guises, from the thin English kind served with lemon and sugar to a stack of fluffy American ones topped with blueberries or maple syrup. And when it comes to toppings, pretty much anything goes.

Here is a recipe celebrating regional ingredients and pancakes from the UK.

Crempog (Welsh pancakes)

Makes ten

250g plain flour

50g caster sugar

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

A pinch of salt

2 large eggs

284ml buttermilk

1tbsp lemon juice

75g raisins

Caster sugar, to serve

Method: Sift the flour, caster sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a bowl and make a well in the centre.

Beat together the buttermilk, eggs and add to the dry ingredients with the lemon juice. Leave the mixture to stand for ten minutes.

Heat a flat griddle or frying pan, brush the surface with a little oil, then drop on tablespoons of the mixture, well apart – about three can be cooked at a time. Sprinkle a few raisins in the centre of each pancake. Cook over a medium heat for one to two minutes or until bubbles begin to form on the surface, and the base is golden.

Flip pancakes over and cook for a further few minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm in a clean tea-towel. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make about ten pancakes in total. Serve warm with a sprinkling of caster sugar.

The perfect pancake

TRY these tips from British Lion Eggs for making the best pancakes:

• You need a good non-stick, preferably heavy, pan. To cook the pancakes properly, it needs to be hot. The first pancake rarely works and can look very untidy, but tastes good. This is known as the cook’s treat.
• If you are not confident about tossing the pancakes, just use a spatula to turn them.
• Some say leaving the batter to rest before use improves it – good if you have time, but it’s not essential.
•  If there are any leftover pancakes, leave them covered in the fridge and just heat gently for a few seconds in a hot pan before serving.

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