Breakfast pancakes with sweet apple side

Pancakes are something I used to fear, because there were always so many recipes to choose from, and each one turned out slightly different. Sweet or savoury? Thick or thin? Brown or white? It got to a point where I would always pawn off the pancake-making to somebody else, until my dear friend, of Cullen Skink fame, gave me his foolproof, fail-safe recipe. I have used it countless times since, and it has never disappointed.

This bank holiday weekend, another friend of mine perfectly complemented the slightly-sweet-but-can-still-be-eaten-with-bacon pancakes with apples cut into very small pieces and doused in sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup. However, these pancakes can be eaten with pretty much anything… bananas, strawberries, sausages, bacon, nutella, honey, lemon… the choice is yours!

Serves two people with healthy brunch appetites (there was nothing else to eat…)

• 2.5 cups flour
• 2.5 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 cups milk with 2 tbsp lemon juice – stir once and let sit (or alternatively, use buttermilk)
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 beaten eggs

This recipe is so easy! Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) and the wet ingredients in a second bowl (melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs and the milk after it has sat for a while). Mix them together in the large bowl. Then, make the pancakes – I use around 2 cooking spoons full of batter, and always fry them in butter! Flip after a few minutes. Yield: About 8 pancakes, depending on size.

Apple side:

Chop 2 apples into small pieces. Mix in a bowl with maple syrup, cinnamon and brown sugar (to taste). Serve on top of pancakes and drizzle with more maple syrup. Enjoy!