I had this for Christmas brunch but it’s also great as a dessert or as a festive brunch any time of year.

My cousin Rhia has a family tradition of making Scandinavian pancake for Christmas brunch. They are quite decadent but surprisingly easy to make so they are perfect for Christmas morning, especially if your serious eating is not to be done until later in the day. Although it is called a pancake, it is actually baked in an oven and I suspect some magic might be involved since they rise and go all fluffy and golden despite the absence of yeast.

I made this for my boyfriend and me this Christmas and it was a great hit. I had one slice with homemade cranberry and rhubarb sauce (cook cranberries and chopped rhubarb in their own juices and sweeten) and Greek yogurt and a second slice with fresh blueberries and raspberries and maple syrup. Yum!

I thought I would share the recipe, but it’s not technically a road test since I have made it before. The quantities below serve between four and eight depending on whether it is dessert or brunch and how hungry people are.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter (equivalent to 2oz or 60g)
3 large, free-range eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
6 tbs sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp fine salt

[A note on measurements: This is an American recipe so a cup equals 8 fluid ounces. This is pretty close to a metric cup measurement of 250ml. I don't have kitchen scales here in New York so I can't tell you the weights].

Method

Preheat oven to 220C or 425F. Put butter into a wide (20cm or 9 inches) oven-proof pan and melt it in the oven. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, milk, sugar, flour and salt until smooth. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the mixture into the hot pan. Bake for 30 minutes. The pancake will inflate like a balloon and the outer skin should be crisp and golden. Serve in wedges with your favourite toppings.

Since the pitta bread was so successful, I thought I would continue the theme of flat round things and share my favourite pancake recipe. I’m lucky enough that this is something I often have made for me but I’ve seen it done enough times to know how it works.

If you want to know how to make crepes, look away now. Crepes are lovely but they bear no resemblance to the thick-American style pancakes this recipe produces. The original is from My Mum’s Cookbook by Roisin Bibby (published in Australia in 1993) but I have altered it slightly to use buttermilk, which gives it a more oomph. You can use normal milk if you prefer and either full fat or low fat is fine. Serve with your favourite topping - maple syrup is traditional, but right now I’m enjoying mine with homemade blackcurrant jam and fresh banana. What’s your favourite topping? Tell me in the comments.

Ingredients

3 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or milk)
2 eggs

[NB This is an Australian recipe so all measurements are metric. A cup is 250ml and a tablespoon is 20ml].

Method

In a big bowl, place flour, sugar, oil, salt, half a cup of the milk and the eggs. Mix well together to make a stiff dough. (If you have a food mixer with grappling hooks then this will speed things along, otherwise you have to knead it by hand). Now add the rest of the milk and mix until you have smooth, thick batter. Brush a little oil over the pan and heat (medium-hot). The pancake mixture will pour easily if it’s in a jug. Pour the batter into the centre of the pan and it will gently spread out. Watch for bubbles appearing on the surface of the pancake - time to flip it over. Cook other side until golden.

The recipe is from Leith’s Baking Bible by Susan Spaull and Fiona Burrell.

Pitta Bread

MAKES 8
15g / 1/2 oz fresh yeast (If using fast-action or dried yeast, see below)
1 teaspoon caster sugar
150ml / 5 fl oz lukewarm water
250g / 9 oz strong white flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons polenta

[NB This is a British recipe so a tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml].

1. Mix the yeast and sugar with 2 tablespoons of the warm water.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
3. Tip the yeast mixture into the well, add the olive oil and enough water to make a soft but not too sticky dough.
4. Knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes or by machine for 6 minutes, until smooth.
5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat it in the oil. Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knock back by kneading for 30 seconds.
7. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Place the polenta on a plate and roll each ball in it. Roll the dough balls into rounds 12cm in diameter.
8. Heat the grill on its highest setting until very hot. Place the dough rounds onto a greased baking sheet (you will need to do this in 2 batches or use 2 baking sheets).
9. Grill the dough about 7.5cm from the heat source for 2 minutes per side, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm. The bread can be reheated if required before serving.

Yeast: The quantity of yeast recommended to raise 225g / 8 oz flour in a standard bread recipe is as follows:

• 10g / 1/3 oz fresh yeast, or
• 3.5g / 1/8 oz fast-action yeast = 1.5 teaspoons fast-action yeast or
• 5g / 1/5 oz dried active yeast = 2 teaspoons dried active yeast

The type of yeast used to make a dough will affect the rising time of the dough, although by making the relevant conversion using the quantities table above you should get similar results from the various types.

Road Test

A note on ingredients: We used fast-action yeast, as per the instructions.

Method: Our hand-held mixer with the grappling hooks was perfect for kneading the dough. The instructions were clear and easy to follow.

Results: Fantastic! The bread was golden brown and slightly puffed - exactly how you would expect pitta to be! We ate it with hummus.

Verdict

The trouble with bread is that it’s cheap to buy, it takes a long time to make and the homemade stuff is not always better than what’s available in the shops. This recipe sounds like it should be difficult but it’s actually really easy. Normally with bread you have to prove it (let it rise), knead it and prove it again - a process that takes a couple of hours. With this recipe, you only have to prove it once and it’s a shorter proving time. Also because you grill it, the cooking time is much faster as well. And there is a clear advantage because you get to eat it when it’s hot.