Pancakes

The Great Kiwi Sunday Breakfast, such happy childhood memories, consisted of one of two meals, at least in my family.

There was the baked beans/spaghetti (yes I did say spaghetti, last time I checked I was not demented, this is not the usual pasta kind, this one came in a can with tomato sauce) on toast with lightly poached eggs, their whites perfectly set and yolks runny and warm, mingling with the toast crumbs and the dregs of tomato sauce. Wattie's was the only option back then, no other brand came close to that just right amount of flavour and tanginess, (there weren't that many other brands back then anyway) the spaghetti had just the right amount of gooey-ness (no al-dente when it comes from a can) and the baked beans, well, Dad liked them (I was a spaghetti girl myself). If we were really lucky then there was bacon on the side, and if we distracted Mum in the supermarket, she might pick up the can of Spaghetti and Sausages by mistake. Ahhh bliss, the ultimate triumph of child over parent.

This counted as the family breakfast, Mum, Dad and us three kids, all sitting around the table and eating in a very civilised "may I please have the salt" kind of manner that we had been taught to behave when at the table,  as various ages struggled with the concept of manoeuvring the delicious morsels from the plate to the mouth with the aide of only a knife and fork, while trying not to dribble tomato sauce and egg yolk on the table cloth.

Then there were pancakes, not the fat fluffy hotcakes with maple syrup, we had never seen them as children, no, our weekend breakfast of choice was pancakes, wafer thin, reminiscent of the French crepe, straight from the pan to your plate, drizzled with lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar, rolled up and eaten with your hands, grainy lemon juice dripping from fingers and chins, chaos reigned supreme these mornings (which often happened to be when Dad had left for sports practice earlier in the morning) with mum making a double batch in two fry-pans, trying to keep up with our enthusiastic cries for more, no sooner had a pancake been removed from the pan than it was snaffled up by a hungry youngster bent on getting the lions share of this tastiest of breakfasts. Decorum was out the window (unless dad was there to enforce at least a façade of civility) and I'm sure my mother was exhausted, but we loved them.

Fast forward 25 odd years and its me in the kitchen, with an 8 year convinced that he will starve to death if he doesn't eat RIGHT NOW, until I mention lemon sugar rolled up pancakes. Knees go wobbly, fake drooling is initiated, along with declarations of undying love (for the pancake, not for me) and unsolicited promises of the best behaviour ever and never ever to nag ever again, my son happily pops off to play while I whip up a batch of this kiwi breakfast treat.

The original recipe is from the Edmonds Cookbook, that staple of kiwi cooking. If you can get your hands on a copy it is filled with great recipes, especially for baking. A quick note however, all measures in the book are in New Zealand Metric, so a cup is 250mls (a sure fire way to go wrong when baking is to add too little flour!) and the eggs are medium size sixes (not sure how that translates for my international readers). If you know someone that has ever visited New Zealand, lived in New Zealand, or who has relatives in New Zealand, ask to borrow their copy, but be prepared to offer security, this little gem is hard to get hold of overseas and owners often guard them jealously.

It has taken a while to find and perfect the recipe for this early morning delight, as having a son who is gluten AND dairy free ads certain challenges to family meals (at least pancakes are vegetarian) but I believe I have finally perfected the recipe and it is now ready for sharing with the world at large!

These pancakes roll fairly well and are less prone to cracking than previous incarnations, but the pan needs to be greased lightly (spray on canola oil is ideal) between each pancake, and a moderate eat used (this can take some fiddling with to get right) the pan needs to be hot enough to cook the thin pancake quickly, too cool and the pancake cooks too slowly and is more likely to stick, but not so hot as to burn the pancake, the finished pancake should be pleasantly "golden blonde" on one side and slightly more freckled on the other. It can take a few tries to get it right (my first pancake or two is often a loss as I am hurrying the process too much and have a too cool pan)

Choose a plain gluten free flour blend, some flour blends have soy which I find has an after-taste, my son enjoys it however so who am I to judge, so if you have a favourite flour blend try it, but be aware that the fluid volumes may change slightly as pancakes are mixed by "feel" to get the right thickness to the batter even when using regular flour. I have tried experimenting with my own mixes but have found the commercial blends easier to use and less fuss when it comes to pancakes. Make sure your blend has no raising agents as these pancakes are thin and flat (as pancakes funnily enough) any raising agent will make a rubbery end product that will not roll well and quite frankly feels awful in the mouth.

And now for moment you have all been waiting for...... the recipe (makes 8-12 depending on the size of your pancake)

I have included the directions for regular pancakes so you who can have wheat and dairy can sample this delicacy as it was originally intended.

1 cup plain gluten free flour mix (substitute plain baking flour for normal version)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk, or milk substitute (e.g. rice or soy)
water
cooking spray
lemon juice (fresh is best)
sugar

***Important note - 1 cup = 250 mls***

Sift flour and salt into a bowl, add egg and mix till combined, gradually mix in milk. The batter should be smooth. If still a little lumpy don't panic, breack out the electric whiz or stick blender (saves on arm muscles) and blitz it for a few seconds.

Take note of how the batter "feels" at this stage when you mix it with a spoon so you can adjust the water later on if required. Now for the hard part (when you have hungry young ones) chill one hour. This results in a smoother batter that pours more easily. If you do not have time this step can be omitted but the results, while perfectly edible, will not be as good.

After chilling the mixture usually thickens a bit. Add a little water as required to bring back to a smooth thin-ish consistency that it was before chilling. It needs to be liquid enough to be swirled around a frypan to get a thin tasty pancake, but not so thin as to be completely watery.

Heat a crepe pan or small frypan and lightly with cooking oil, using a ladle or small cup, pour just enough batter into the pan to cover the base, tipping pan slightly if required to spread the batter evenly.

When the top is set and the edges start to lift slightly the pancake is usually ready to turn, however depending on your flour this may not happen, so gently lift the pancake edge to check the colour, when gold carefully turn the pancake and briefly cook the other side (gluten free pancakes don't tend to flip very well, but feel free to give it a go). I find it easiest to leave a gap between the side of the pan and the edge of the pancake so I can manoeuvre the spatula without damaging the pancake.

Once cooked stack on a plate and if they are not gobbled up before you get them to the table, cover with tinfoil to keep warm.

To serve, place a dribble of lemon juice down the centre of a pancake, sprinkle with sugar , roll up and either a) eat civilly with a knife and fork or b) munch away with your fingers as the only cutlery.