Pikelets

This last recipe is fantastic. In some ways it is more than just a variation on a theme, which so many pancake recipes are. Although the ingredient list is similar to normal pancakes, it has different DNA, so to speak. The secret ingredient - yeast! Don't worry though, it's not nearly as finicky as bread. In fact it's the easiest yeast-raised thing you'll ever make.

This recipe comes from "The Classic 1000 Cake & Bake Recipes", by Wendy Hobson. This is a very unassuming book, unfortunate graphic design. I was given this book with a pile of other cookbooks that a friend was wanting rid of, either they went to me or to a charity shop. I must admit that I nearly passed this one along to the charity shop when we did a book clear out. I'm glad I didn't, even if it were for this one recipe (truth be told it's full of good ones).

One of the quirks of this book is it's metric/imperial/US measurement layout. It's a pain to read, but it does allow me to present it in both systems here. I'm told pikelets are an Aussie thing, but as far as I can tell, it's really just their word for a raised pancake. This recipe appears to have rather ancient origins, what with the yeast and all.

Pikelets

1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1-1/4 cups milk (300 ml)
1 egg
2 cups flour (225 g)
1 teaspoon salt

Warm the milk in the microwave so it is lukewarm and add the sugar and yeast. Allow the yeast to proof (it will float to the top and be bubbly)*. In larger bowl (I use a pitcher) add the flour and salt. Now add the egg to the milk mixture and beat, finally adding it to the dry ingredients; mix well into a thin batter (I use a hand blender or just do the whole thing in a regular blender). Unlike regular pancake batter, this stuff has to be lump-free. Cover and leave somewhere warm until double in size (no more than 30 min usually). Fry as you would normal pancakes, but be warned the mixture tends to pour gloppy.

*The original recipe tells you to make a paste with the dry yeast, sugar and some of the milk, then mix it into everything else. This does work, but it makes the rise time a lot slower - it will take 30 - 40 min at least depending on where you leave it to rise.

This recipe makes the most wonderful, doughy and fragrant pancakes. I eat them with just butter. If you have really active yeast, or a longer rise time, you will have very, very light thick pancakes, shorter rise times or less exuberant yeast yield shorter more bread like pancakes. I once made this with some very perky yeast and the batter kept growing to fill my pitcher, like a bottomless cup!

This is such a wonder, easy and unique recipe that you MUST try it at least once (but if you do, I promise it won't be a one-time-only thing).