Anne Morgan Delia Smith’s American pancakes are her fluffy buttermilk pancakes, made with plain flour, baking powder and 3 eggs, and the recipe makes about 6. You fry them a spoonful at a time in hot lard, then serve them with maple syrup and crème fraîche. The whole batch takes about 30 minutes.
Delia first ate these in Quebec, where a Madame Lafond cooked them for her. She calls them Canadian Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Syrup, and they follow her toad in the hole in her first How to Cook book (1998). Then the same amounts appear again in her Puddings book and on her website.
These are not her thin British pancakes for Pancake Day. That batter uses milk and water, while this one has buttermilk and baking powder, so these puff up, crinkle and go crisp at the edges.
They are so fast to make that Delia likes to keep maple syrup ready for them. With a bottle to hand, she says, you have an “almost-instant dessert”.
Delia Smith’s American Pancakes
Course: BreakfastCuisine: CanadianDifficulty: Easy6
servings10
minutes20
minutes180
kcalSmall, thick buttermilk pancakes that puff up and turn crisp at the edges, made to eat hot with plenty of maple syrup.
Ingredients
- For the batter:
150g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
120ml buttermilk
75ml cold water
3 large eggs, beaten
25-50g lard
- To serve:
pure maple syrup
crème fraîche
Directions
- Dry: Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a roomy bowl, then make a well in the middle.
- Liquid: Whisk the buttermilk and cold water together in a jug. Whisk them into the flour little by little, drawing the flour in as you go.
- Eggs: Add the beaten eggs last, a little at a time, and whisk until the batter is smooth.
- Heat: Put a large, heavy frying pan over a medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the lard and heat it until the fat shimmers.
- Cook: Spoon in 2 or 3 pancakes, using a tablespoon of batter for each one. Cook them for about 1 minute, until golden brown underneath.
- Turn: Turn them with a spatula and a fork, taking care not to splash the hot fat. Give them 45 seconds on the other side, until they puff up.
- Drain: Rest them on kitchen paper for a moment. Cook the rest of the batter the same way, adding a little more lard when the pan needs it.
- Serve: Put them on warm plates and pour over plenty of maple syrup. Add a spoonful of crème fraîche to each plate.
Notes
- In America, Delia notes, blueberries are served with buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, as well as baked in pies and muffins. I'd put a handful on the side of these too.
FAQs
Is it better to make pancakes with buttermilk?
Yes, for this kind of pancake. In How to Cook Book Two, Delia names buttermilk as the right choice for American-style pancakes, as well as for extra-light scones and soda bread.
Today’s buttermilk is cultured, she explains, because a culture is added to skimmed milk. It keeps the same sharp taste as the old buttermilk, which was left over from making butter.
Which maple syrup should I buy?
Buy pure maple syrup, as her recipe says. For the shortcut version below, she names pure No 2 dark amber maple syrup.
Once the bottle is open, keep it in the fridge and use it within 3 months. She also pours it over porridge or Greek yoghurt in place of sugar.
Is there a shortcut version?
Yes, in her book How to Cheat at Cooking. Buy 6 ready-made buttermilk pancakes, 100g of pecan halves, 150ml of pure maple syrup and a 200ml tub of half-fat crème fraîche. This serves 2 to 3, and she notes that most shops sell these pancakes in the same size as Scotch pancakes.
Heat the grill to its highest setting and toast the pecans for about 1 minute, watching them closely. Chop them roughly, then warm the maple syrup in a small pan and stir them in.
Toast the pancakes lightly for 1 minute on each side and put them on a warm plate. Then spoon the pecans and syrup over the top, add the crème fraîche, and use walnut halves if you have no pecans.
Can I make American pancakes ahead?
Only for a short time. Delia says they will keep warm in a low oven, but they are at their best straight from the pan.
So get everyone to the table before you start cooking. Madame Lafond served them that way in Quebec, straight from the pan onto warm plates.
