Pancake day is one of our favourite days of the year and so to celebrate lovely AGA Demonstrator Naomi Hansell joined us live to talk about how to make the perfect pancake.
From flipping techniques to batter recipes and filling ideas, Naomi gave us so much inspiration for pancakes, crêpes and drop scones on the AGA.
Find all of Naomi's fabulous recipes below and, if you missed our Facebook live, you can watch it here.
Simple Batter Technique
1. Take 100g of flour (plain for crepes, self-raising for drop scones or American pancakes). This is roughly a heaped mugful.
2. Add a pinch of salt
3. Put in a bowl and crack in an egg.
4. Mix then add enough milk to give the consistency you need for your pancakes:
- Drop scones - thick ‘spooning’ consistency
- American Fluffy pancakes - thick, ‘lazy’ pouring consistency
- Shrove Tuesday Pancakes (Crepes) - thin, pouring consistency
5. Cook on the simmering plate for drop scone or American pancakes or in a hot pan on the boiling plate for crepes. The AGA Cast-Aluminium Frying Pans are ideal for this.
Drop Scones
Also know as ’scotch pancakes’, these are with butter and a little jam, served with a cup of tea.
Makes 12 smallish ones.
Ingredients:
100g self raising flour
A pinch of salt
1 egg
80ml - 100ml milk
Method:
1. Put the flour into a bowl and make a small well in the centre. Crack the egg into it and whisk with a fork, allowing the egg to draw in the flour. Add half the milk and mix then more milk until the mixture is a thick ’spooning’ consistency.
2. Cook on the simmering plate, either directly, greasing the simmering plate with a little oil or using a piece of Bake-o-Glide to line the simmering plate.
3. Cook for a couple of minutes ether side, then wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm.
American Pancakes
These pancakes have a ‘fluffier’, more open texture which is good for soaking up the maple syrup. Serve with blueberries and/or crispy bacon.
Makes 8 or so depending on size.
Ingredients:
100g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
125ml - 150ml mlik
Method:
1. Put the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and crack the egg into it. Mix and add half the milk. Mix briefly until smooth then add further milk to make a thick but pourable batter.
2. Cook on the simmering plate, either directly, greasing the simmering plate with a little oil or using a piece of Bake-o-Glide.
3. Cook for 2 mins or so and turn over once there are plenty of bubbles, cook the second side for a minute or so.
4. Serve several pancakes warm in a stack just with maple syrup or with bacon, blueberries or toppings of your choice.
Shrove Tuesday Pancakes (Crepes)
Makes 8
Ingredients:
100g plain or buckwheat flour (or half and half).
A pinch of salt
2 eggs
250ml - 300ml milk (or half mllk, half water)
Method:
1. Put the flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Mix until combined then add half the milk. Mix until smooth then add the rest of the milk to make a quite thin batter.
2. Pour in to a large, hot frying pan for around 90 seconds before flipping to cook the other side until golden.
Savoury Pancake Bake (V)
Serves 4 - 6 as a lunch or supper.
Ingredients: 
8 crepes, made as per recipe above.
200g tenderstem broccoli or asparagus
200g grated mature cheddar or cheese or your choice (100g for inside the pancakes and 100g for the sauce)
20g milk
For the sauce:
20g plain flour
250ml milk
a pinch of salt
You will need an ovenproof baking dish, the Portmeirion for AGA Half-Size Baking Tray is ideal.
1. First make the pancakes as per the recipe above. They can be done the day ahead and kept covered and chilled in the fridge until needed.
2. Next make a cheese sauce - put 20g each of butter and plain flour into a sauce pot and cook for a few minutes on the simmering plate. Add the milk, stir until smooth and bring to a simmer on the boiling plate. Put on a lid and transfer to the simmering oven to cook further for 5 - 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, steam fry the asparagus or broccoli - put a knob of butter or a little oil into a saute pan on the boiling plate. Add the broccoli or asparagus and cook for a few minutes until it starts to colour at the edges. Add 100ml of water and put a lid on to allow the broccoli/asparagus to steam for a just a few moments until tender. Remove from the heat, take of the lid and allow to cool.
4. To assemble the pancakes, put a couple of stems of broccoli or asparagus across the centre of a pancake, sprinkle with a little grated cheese, then roll up and place into a baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the pancakes.
5. Carefully take the sauce out of the simmering oven, add the 100g of grated cheese, stir and pour over the top of the pancakes. At this point the dish can be set aside and kept chilled in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
6. To cook, cook in the roasting oven near the top for 10 - 15 minutes until hot and bubbling.
Serve with a crisp green salad.
Variations and Dietary Alternatives:
Substitute the broccoli or asparagus for strips of chargrilled courgettes, roasted peppers, roasted squash, or add strips of cooked ham or chicken. This is also delicious with sautéed mushrooms and wilted spinach.
For a gluten free dish, use gluten free flour for the pancakes and the sauce, using the same quantities.
‘Healthy’ Chocolate Pancakes (V)
Ingredients:
35g oats
1 banana
A scoop of chocolate protein powder, or an egg, or both
50g milk, plus a little extra, enough to give a thick pouring consistency
1/4 tsp salt
Method:
1. Whiz all the ingredients together in a bender until smooth. Add a little extra milk to give a thick pouring consistency.
2. Cook on the AGA simmering plate for a couple of minutes either side.
Serve with your choice of fruit, or just on their own with butter or non-dairy spread.
