sarahtraversBreakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert- pancakes seem to be an option at any time of the day.
They are easy to make savory or sweet depending on the topping. Plus the batter is an easy kids recipe and the much anticipated pancake flip is part of learning to cook skills.
I have been making American style pancakes for years, mostly for breakfast using the same simple recipe. I would make it up an a jug and then use it over a couple of days to make pancakes for one.
When I was a child, we only ever seemed to have pancakes on Shrove Tuesday or pancake day. Then they were forgotten for the rest of the year! These ones were more crepe-style pancakes with the traditional lemon and sugar. My mum hated doing the pancake flip so I think that’s why the only cake out once a year!
This was a must-have recipe for the read-to-cook method. Even if it’s just for the annual pancake day kids cooking session!
Why you will love this recipe:
Simple: it only uses 3 ingredients to make the batter (kids will need help with the frying)
Sweet or savoury: toppings make this easy to suit tastes
Introduces heat: this one is a good one for teaching hazards and using frying
Tips:
- The frying part is the most difficult part of this recipe. Especially on the first go, this will need to be adult-led.
- Using a ladle to put the batter into the pan is the easiest and keeping them smaller makes it much easier to flip.
- The batter can also be kept in a jug in the fridge for a few days and stirred to make up later.
Teachable moments with this recipe
Reading– The recipe uses a whisk so the ‘wh’ sound can be used as a teaching point here
Maths– For the younger ones, this recipe is really great for reinforcing the idea of ‘full’ cups
Science – watching the batter quickly change in front of them. Also discussing conduction heat in the frying pan
Cooking – frying is the biggest cooking challenge in this one. The teachable moments in this may initially you showing them how to do it safely before building up to them being able to do it themselves.
Tips using this recipe with younger children
- Focus on making sure the cup is full
- Teaching egg breaking is a great learning moment in this one
- Let them focus their skills on the batter creation
Using this recipe with more experienced readers and cooks
- The batter creation isn’t many steps in this one so its an easy one for them to follow.
- Frying will be what they can work on here
Adding more challenges to the cooking experience of this recipe
- This is an easy one to double up or half depending on how many pancakes you want to make
- Also using different toppings or challenging to make it into shapes can change the recipe up
Alternatives and Variations of the recipe:
Toppings are the obvious variation here. But the recipe can also be used to make pancake bites and cook them in the oven. Pour the recipe into a greased cupcake or mini cupcake tin. Add fruit or chocolate chips to each one and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Find more Read-to-cook recipes:
Get more out of using recipes with your child:
Content Disclaimer
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this blog post are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this blog. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this blog. Sarah Travers disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this post.