Try pancakes the American way this Shrove Tuesday, with this easy recipe for thick, fluffy buttermilk pancakes with maple bacon.

INGREDIENTS

350g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
200ml buttermilk
400ml semi-skimmed milk
2 free-range eggs
85g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for frying
12 rashers smoked streaky bacon
50ml maple syrup

METHOD

In a bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar.

In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the buttermilk, milk, eggs and butter. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir to combine. Do not overbeat – stir just to combine.

Melt a small knob of butter in a large frying pan. Using a ladle, pour some batter into the pan to make a pancake. Depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to make more than one pancake at a time, or if you are confident you can use two pans at the same time.

Cook the pancakes for about a minute, or until the underside is golden-brown and the top is bubbling. Then turn them over using a spatula and cook for another minute. Keep the pancakes warm in a very low oven while you cook the remaining batter.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium/hot. Lay the bacon on a grill tray lined with foil and brush with maple syrup. Grill until one side of the bacon is crisp. Turn over and brush the other side with maple syrup and cook until crisp.

Serve the pancakes stacked on top of each other, topped with grilled bacon and drizzled with maple syrup.

buttermilk pancakes with maple bacon

Recipe and image from BBC