250g self-raising flour
11/2 tsp baking powder
30g caster sugar (optional)
2 eggs
250ml milk
50g butter, plus extra for frying vegetable oil, for frying crispy bacon and maple syrup, to serve (optional)
1 Tip the flour, baking powder, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt into a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and milk, and whisk until combined into a batter – it doesn’t have to be very smooth.
2 Melt the butter in the microwave in a heatproof bowl or jug, then drizzle this into the batter while whisking until just combined.
3 Melt a knob of butter and 1 tsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter is frothy, add the batter into the pan – use about 4 tbsp for each pancake, leaving some space between them. Cook on one side for 3 mins, or until lots of bubbles have appeared on the surface and popped. Flip and cook on the other side for 1 min more.
4 Repeat with the rest of the batter, more butter and oil. If the pan starts to smoke, carefully wipe out the old butter and oil with kitchen paper before cooking the next batch (you can ask a grown-up to do this for you). Stack the cooked pancakes on a plate and cover to keep warm while cooking the remaining pancakes. Serve in stacks with bacon and maple syrup, or other toppings of your choice.