Orange pikelets/pancakes

[highlyeccentric]

This recipe comes from the original Australian Women's Weekly cookbook. It's supposed to be a pikelet recipe, but IMHO the batter is too thin and it works better if you make big thin pancakes out of it. [Note - my idea of a 'pancake' is a thin batter in a wide circle that can be rolled. But not as thin as a crepe. A pikelet is closer to an American pancake or flapjack. Yes, I know, this is linguistic ridiculousness at its best.]


Dietary notes: Contains eggs, milk, citrus. I'm not sure how well it would work on soy substitutes. I do know it works perfectly well with gluten-free self-raising flour mix.
Accessibility notes: This is a bit of a futzy recipe, involving farting about with separated eggs and so on as well as the usual hazards of pancakes (oil, ladling, hot frying pans).


I can't find the 1970 AWW basic pikelet recipe online, I'll have to blog that myself some day, but in the meantime, there's a simpler alternative recipe at taste.com.au.



3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice, added to milk and left to stand
3 tablespoons plain sugar
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Note: measurements are in Australian cups (250ml) and tablespoons (20ml). I can't imagine that the world would end if you used any other measuring system, as long as you're consistent, but I take no responsibility...

Method:

1. Separate eggs. Beat yolk lightly in one bowl with 1 tbp sugar. Beat whites until stiff in another bowl, with 2 tbps sugar. Fold back together.
2. Fold in flour, soured milk, orange juice, orange rind. Mix into a smooth batter.
3.Heat and grease a frying pan (griddle).
4. For true pikelets, spoon 1-2 tablespoons at a time into pan, in circles about as big as your palm. For a pancake-like effect, spread thinner and in wider circles.
5. Cook until bubbles hold on the surface, then turn over and cook until golden brown. There's a good photo-record of this process here.

Serve hot - the orange in the batter compliments lemon and sugar, and would probably also suit marmalade or citrus jam on top.

Feel free to substitute lemon juice and rind for orange in the batter. Not sure how lime would work out, though.

Comments

Soy Milk Commentary

[jumpuphigh]

I have found that rice milk is excellent for pancakes and baking. It is much better than soy. I've never tried souring it but I suspect it would do just fine with that as well.

Re: Soy Milk Commentary

[highlyeccentric]

Duly noted! Thanks :)