Homemade Sourdough Pancakes with Butter and Blueberries (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Before you begin your pancake mix, read this.
Shrove Tuesday means it’s time for everyone to unite over a mutual love of pancakes.
But it also means it’s time to relive that first pancake being a bit of a fail after a bad flip, then arguing over who has that one.
To help refresh those pancake making skills, Ben Cullen, known as The Bake King, has exclusively shared his tips.
He says: ‘Pancake Day is one of my favourite days of the year. It seems to be the main day that attracts everyone to have a go at baking, which is always a goal of mine.
‘Making pancakes is such a simple thing, but only if you know how, so I hope my ultimate flip-able pancake formula allows people to up their pancake game.’
The Bake King’s top tips for Pancake Day
- A new/clean non-stick pan will always give the best pancake results. A dirty pan or a pan with scratches will cause less than perfect results.
- Give your pan a quick wipe around and oil/re-fresh between each pancake. This will stop any burning and keep each pancake looking perfect.
- Check the underside of your pancake – just lift up one edge and look under. Flipping excessively will inevitably make the bake uneven.
- If you’re feeding a big family, then have two pans at staggered intervals – this way you can be cleaning and re-prepping one pan as a separate batch is cooking – work smarter not harder.
- If you want a good shot for social media, check your angles for the perfect flip shot. Try shooting from below for added effect.
- Add some personal flair to standout, like food colouring or different shapes.
Ben also says that with many families and friends being apart this year, it’s a good time to embrace to fails that come with pancake making, suggesting that you film your attempts and share them.
‘With this year being so different and so many people apart, there is even more reason to share fun flips (and fails) with family and friends – we all need a good laugh.
‘There’s so much fun to be had on Pancake Day and the competition always reaches new heights as everyone wants to be the star baker and top flipper.’
Ben also has advice on the things you should watch out for to make sure your pancakes aren’t a disaster.
Common pancake baking fails, as told by The Bake King
- Not heating up your oil or butter in the pan before pouring in your first lot of mixture. This will affect the pancakes consistency.
- Over beating your mix. This will stop your pancakes from being fluffy and instead make them dense.
- Leaving the mix sat too long before making your pancakes. For best results you should only let your mix rest for up to 30 minutes before making the pancakes.
- Not committing to the flip. Getting the motion right when flipping is crucial, or you may just end up folding your pancake in half. It should be a quick sharp motion.
Ben teamed up with Samsung to film how he makes pancakes, which you can watch below for inspiration.
Happy flipping!
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