The word pancake has different meanings in different cultures. To Americans it is a thin, slightly leavened cake eaten for breakfast with butter and maple syrup. To the British it's what the French would call a crepe. Whatever the variation it is usually delicious and simple to make.
With the following recipes it's wise to cook a 'test' pancake to make sure the pan is at the right heat and the consistency of the batter is correct.
American pancakes (pictured)
This is an adapted recipe from Cook's Illustrated magazine. Fresh buttermilk is difficult to find in Hong Kong but reconstituted dried buttermilk works well. It's thicker than 'soured' milk made with whole milk and fresh lemon juice.
If you use soured milk you might have to increase the quantity of flour slightly. Take care not to overmix the batter or the pancakes will be tough. Eat them with real maple syrup rather than maple-flavoured syrup - there is a vast difference in flavour. You can also drop fresh blueberries or sliced bananas into the batter as soon as you've poured it into the pan.
280 grams plain flour
4 tsp sugar
