Delia Smith​ British Pancakes

Delia Smith’s British pancakes are thin, lacy-edged pancakes made from plain flour, eggs, and a mix of milk and water, with melted butter whisked into the batter. They’re the traditional Shrove Tuesday kind, rolled up with lemon juice and caster sugar. The batter takes five minutes and the recipe makes about twelve.

This is her Basic Pancakes recipe, said to be her most-searched of all, and two touches make it hers. She thins the milk with a little water for really thin, lacy edges, lighter than an all-milk batter. She also whisks melted butter straight into the mix, which adds flavour and means you barely need to grease the pan.

The one thing that saves the whole batch is cooking a test pancake first. Delia’s batter should be as thin as single cream, and the pan needs to be hot then dropped to medium. The first pancake tells you if the batter’s the right thinness and the heat’s right, so you can adjust before you commit the rest.

Delia Smith​ British Pancakes

Recipe by Pinch PerfectCourse: Dessert, BreakfastCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

90

kcal

Total time

25

minutes

From Delia’s Complete Cookery Course. Thin, crêpe-style pancakes built on a milk-and-water batter with butter mixed in, served the classic way with lemon and sugar.

Ingredients

• 110g (4oz) plain flour, sifted

• pinch of salt

• 2 eggs

• 200ml (7fl oz) milk mixed with 75ml (3fl oz) water

• 50g (2oz) butter

• To serve:

• caster sugar

• lemon juice

• lemon wedges

Directions

• Make the batter: Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Break in the eggs and whisk, gradually pulling in the flour from the sides.
• Add the liquid: Slowly whisk in the milk-and-water mixture a little at a time, keeping it smooth, until you have a batter the consistency of thin cream.
• Butter the batter: Melt the butter in your frying pan. Whisk 2 tablespoons of it into the batter, then pour the rest into a bowl to grease the pan between pancakes, smearing it round with a wodge of kitchen paper.
• Test one: Heat the pan until really hot, then turn down to medium. Cook a test pancake first, using about 1¾ tablespoons (35ml) of batter for an 18cm pan. Tip the pan from side to side so the base is thinly and evenly coated, filling any holes with a drop more batter.
• Cook: Cook for about 30 seconds, until the underside is tinged gold, lifting the edge with a palette knife to check. Flip and cook the other side for a few seconds, then slide out.
• Serve: Stack the pancakes as you go. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and a scattering of caster sugar, with lemon wedges alongside.

FAQs

Do I need to rest the pancake batter?

Delia’s method uses the batter straight away, so you don’t have to rest it. If you do have time, a 20 to 30 minute rest lets the flour absorb the liquid and relaxes the gluten, giving slightly more tender pancakes. It’s a nice-to-have rather than a must, so don’t let it stop you if you’re hungry now.

Why does Delia put melted butter in the batter?

The butter adds richness and flavour right through the pancake, not just on the surface. It also helps the pancakes release cleanly, so you need only the barest smear of butter in the pan each time. That’s why her pancakes brown evenly without swimming in fat.

What’s the difference between British pancakes and French crêpes?

They’re very close cousins, both thin and egg-based, cooked in a flat pan. British pancakes are traditionally a fraction thicker than a delicate crêpe, but far thinner than a fluffy American pancake. The clearest difference is how they’re served: the British way is simply lemon and sugar, rolled up.

Can I make pancakes ahead or freeze them?

Yes, and Delia freezes them herself. Stack the cooked pancakes with a square of greaseproof paper between each so they don’t stick, then bag and freeze. Reheat from frozen in a warm pan or oven, which makes Pancake Day far less frantic if you cook a batch in advance.

What can I serve with them besides lemon and sugar?

Lemon and sugar is the classic and hard to beat, but the thin, plain pancake takes almost anything. A spoon of Delia’s summer fruit compote and a little cream turns them into a quick pudding, and jam or honey works for a lazy breakfast. Keep the filling thin so the pancake can still roll.

Why is my batter lumpy, and how do I fix it?

Lumps usually mean the liquid went in too fast at the start, before the flour was worked in. Sifting the flour and adding the milk and water gradually while whisking is what keeps it smooth. If you still get lumps, a quick blitz with a stick blender or a pass through a sieve sorts it out in seconds.