Making successful pikelets was an art form in my mother’s day. If you weren’t careful they turned out heavy but once you knew what to do they were actually quite easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 2 dessertspoons sugar
• 1 well-beaten egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 oz/30 gm melted butter

Method:

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and then add the sugar and mix. Beat the egg and then combine with the milk.  Add to the batter and lastly add the melted butter. It should be a thickish batter (although pikelets are similar to pancakes, the mixture is not as thin). Leave the mixture to stand for a couple of minutes. Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat to a moderate temperature. This may need adjusting as you are making the pikelets. It needs to be at a reasonable temperature but not so it burns or cooks too quickly, and conversely if the temperature is too low they will be pale and insipid. Use greaseproof paper with some butter on it and lightly grease the pan (after every few batches you will need to grease again). Take a dessertspoon of the mixture and add to the pan. When the surface starts to show little bubbles it is time to turn. Once turned they will puff up and then you need to look at the sides to check that they are cooked. It is a quick process! The photos show when the pikelets are ready to turn and then nice height once both sides are done.