The thing about cooking on a budget is that it really tests your creativity. This weekend, I got some bacon out of the freezer to find we had only a few slices of bread left. I did however have a couple of eggs and some flour so decided to make American style pancakes. These are a family favourite and we often have them for a lazy Sunday brunch with bacon, maple syrup, fruit and yoghurt. However this time I decided to try a slightly different recipe for 'Drop Scones' (which I think are basically 'English' American pancakes). This is the best recipe I have tried - they were light and fluffy and took both savoury and sweet toppings well.
To make 15-20 scones you will need:
250g Plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
300ml buttermilk (if you do not have buttermilk you can use full fat milk with lemon juice or vinegar - which is what I did. Instructions here)
Butter/sunflower oil for frying
Frying pan
Spatular
Large mixing bowl
Large spoon
Measuring spoons
Scales
Whisk
To make:
1. Put all the dry ingredients into the bowl and make a weel in the middle.
2. Add the eggs, oil and half the milk
3. Beat together the ingredients and incorporate all the ingredients
4. Pour in the remaining milk and whisk well into a smooth batter
5. Put your oil/butter into the pan over a medium heat.
6. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan from the tip of the spoon. This ensures nice round scones
7. Cook for a few minutes until little bubbles appear on the surface and burst. Turn them over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
8. Wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm.
Normally I'm not into weighing and measuring but having tried variations of this recipes on an ad hoc 'throw it all in' basis I can tell you it doesn't really work! Baking is a science.
Go mad with toppings! I have grated apple into batter, mashed banana into it, added blueberries and raspberries, topped them with yoghurt, syrup, honey, bacon. Again, this is a really child friendly recipe. Littleys will love helping to make the batter just as much as they will enjoy eating the finished product!
