The perfect weekend treat, pimp up your pancakes for a brilliant brekkie or brunch…
Pancakes are the ideal morning treat when you have a little extra time. We spoke to Matthew Rawle from the Pancake Pod about his flippin’ great business and his top tips for achieving the perfect pancake.
“Pancake Pod was born in the county town of Somerset back in 2014. At the time, we were a unique sweet offering in Taunton, so we joined up with the local market and started trading on weekends. As the weeks went on we gradually made various tweaks and adjustments that made them taste even better. Our fillings also became much more adventurous. Unlike many crêpe stands, we didn’t use a hotplate, going ‘back to basics’ with a simple pan and flame – little did we know at the time, but the customers loved the ‘display’ as much as our pancakes.”
Pancake Pod’s five tips when making pancakes:
- Add melted butter to your mix. A good teaspoon of salted butter per pancake, melted and added to the mix will not only make it taste divine, but the oils will also come out as the pancake cooks and help prevent sticking to the pan.
- Use good quality (preferably free range) eggs. The better the egg, the tastier your pancake will be! Better quality eggs also help to give your pancake a more ‘fluffy’ texture.
- Don’t use too much oil. You only need a little. A good trick is to cut a potato in half and soak it in oil, then stick a fork in it and rub the flat side around the pan.
- Wait until the pan is HOT. Don’t put the mix in the pan until the oil is smoking or your pancake is likely to stick.
- Don’t be afraid to toss it. It’s the easiest and safest way to turn a pancake – if you start messing with a spatula it will probably break or fall apart. Practice makes perfect, and remember – it’s not about strength or force, it’s all in the wrist.
Matthew’s top five indulgent pancakes:
- Canadian: walnuts, raisins, maple syrup and cream.
- Black forest: chocolate brownie, melted Belgian milk chocolate, Morello cherry syrup and cream.
- Nutty Irish: biscuit crumb, Nutella and Baileys Irish cream.
- Salted caramel: melted Belgian milk chocolate, drizzled caramel, flaked sea salt and cream.
- Banoffee: banana, melted Belgian milk chocolate, toffee sauce and cream.