Hints and Tips for Making Perfect Pancakes

Don't overmix the batter. This will cause the pancakes to turn out tough. It's best to leave a few lumps and have a lighter more fluffy pancake.
Go easy on the oil or butter. If you have added too much pour it into a saucer and use later. Use kitchen roll to clean excess grease from the pan.
Get your pan at the right temperature. The heat should be moderate and water should fizz and 'dance' on the surface if you flick some into the pan.
The batter should be about 2mm thick in the bottom of the pan. You want it to be thin but not see-through.
Flip your pancake when the batter bubbles on top and there's light browning around the edges. It's okay to peek to see if they are browned on the bottom.
Only flip each pancake once and don't press down on the pancake while cooking. It will not speed up the cooking time and will give you a tough pancake.
Clean the frying pan out with a little kitchen roll between every few pancakes and re-grease. This way you're less likely to burn your pancakes.
Pancakes can be frozen so don't throw away any you don't eat. Wrap them in cling film and freeze them for up to 1 month.
If you're making pancakes ahead, stack them on a plate and cover with cling film. Pierce the film, then reheat in the microwave for 1 minute or until piping hot.
Leftover pancake batter can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you have made too much batter then enjoy some for breakfast through the week!

Some pancake topping ideas:

Apple pancakes - Add some grated lemon zest to the batter. Stew some apples with some honey or sugar. I like to add a few sultanas as well. Place the stewed apples on one side of the pancake and fold in half.

Orange pancakes - Add orange zest to batter. Cut the orange into wedges and squeeze over the cooked pancakes and sprinkle with a little sugar. Just the 'orange' version of good old lemon & sugar, but you'll probably need less sugar as oranges are sweeter.

Nutella pancakes - Spread Nutella on the hot pancake so it mets. Roll or fold into quarters and eat straight away. Sliced banana is always a good accompaniment.

Pancake recipes