Scottish Pancakes Recipe | Diethood (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between Scottish and English pancakes? ›

In England, pancakes are often unleavened and resemble a crêpe. In Scotland and North America, a leavening agent is used (typically baking powder) creating a thick fluffy pancake.

Beat two eggs with 4 tablespoons of sugar and about one teacup (or 3/4 of a cup) of milk. Add 4 teacups of flour and mix in another teacup of milk "as required" Mix in 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate soda (baking soda) Fold in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

Over-mixing pancake batter develops the gluten that will make the pancakes rubbery and tough. For light, fluffy pancakes, you want to mix just until the batter comes together—it's okay if there are still some lumps of flour. Fat (melted butter) makes the pancakes rich and moist.

To this day, pancakes go by many names, such as flapjacks or slapjacks. Both Scotch pancakes and American flapjacks are cooked the same way with some hot oil or melted butter on a griddle or pan.

In the UK, the word pancakes refers to the same thing, but the word flapjacks refers to something entirely different: a baked good made from oats, resembling what elsewhere may be called a granola bar or oat bar. The word flapjack is traced back to the late 1500s.

Eggs are a crucial ingredient. They provide the cakes with the structure to hold light bubbles. Eggs also give the batter additional, richer flavor from the yolk fat. If you add too many eggs, you'll have “pancakes” that look more like custard or crepes.

Don't be tempted to add more than the recipe suggests, as too much baking powder will make pancakes taste soapy. Alternatively, you could use self-raising flour, which will add to the amount of raising agent in the recipe and potentially make your pancakes fluffier.

A – Ideally make your batter and let it rest for about 30 minutes before cooking. This allows the flour to absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter and fluffier. Q – Why buttermilk? The acidity of buttermilk reacts with the raising agents to make you pancakes lighter and fluffier.

Is there a difference between British style pancakes and crepes? A French Crepe is about 1mm thick and only cooked on one side, a British pancake is 2–3mm thick and cooked on both sides.

Definitions of Scotch pancake. noun. a scone made by dropping a spoonful of batter on a griddle. synonyms: drop scone, griddlecake. type of: scone.

What are three types of pancakes? ›

The ultimate difference is that crepes are larger in size and much thinner, as true crepes are cooked on a special griddle that cooks the batter only on one side. English-style pancakes are cooked on both sides. Traditionally, crepes are meant to be eaten with simple fillings or toppings.