Sidbury Mill Welsh Pancakes
Sidbury Mill flour can be substituted for plain white flour for pancake making, but the result will be less crepe-like. Instead, why not try something a bit different, which also takes away the stress (although arguably the fun!) of pancake tossing. These Welsh pancakes are almost a cross between a crumpet and a buttermilk drop scone and are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday in Wales. They are very versatile and can be eaten the traditional way with lemon and sugar, but a fruit compote and crème fraiche would work well as would clotted cream and honey or jam. If you prefer your pancakes savoury, then a few slices of mature cheese, will melt nicely on top and your favourite chutney would top it off nicely. Makes 8 pancakes.
Method
1. Whisk the warm milk, sugar and yeast in a small bowl and allow the yeast to activate while you complete step 2 (ideally allow 10 mins).
2. In a large bowl mix the flour, bicarb and the salt. Whisk in the milk mix, eggs, vinegar and melted butter to make a thick batter. It won’t look that encouraging at this stage, but press on! Allow to rest for 30 mins.
3. Put a large non-stick frying pan or crepe pan on a medium high heat. Alternatively, if you have an AGA, use Bake-o-Glide directly on the simmering plate. Add a small amount of butter to the pan (if needed) and pour batter onto the hot surface. If you make 8 cm discs they will spread to 10 cm pancakes as they cook. Leave to cook for 90 – 120 seconds until golden on the bottom but still slightly loose on top, then flip them over quickly. Cook for an additional 45 seconds on the other side. Transfer to a warm serving plate and repeat until you have 8 pancakes.
4. Serve warm with toppings of your choice. Two pancakes will be quite filling but for Shrove Tuesday, why not have two savoury and two sweet pancakes per person!
