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Sekai Gohan
Pikelet: Small Australian Brown Sugar Tea Pancakes
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Self-raising flour | 1 cup (250 ml) | Structure and rise |
| Brown sugar | 4 tbsp | Sweetness with a deeper, caramel note |
| Egg | 1 | Binds the batter |
| Milk | ½ cup (125 ml), plus more as needed | Sets the thickness of the batter |
| Butter | as needed | Greasing the pan |
| Raspberry jam | to serve | Bright, tart contrast |
| Thickened cream | 1 cup (250 ml) | Whipped topping |
| Icing sugar mixture | ¼ cup | Sweetens and firms the cream |
Steps
1Warm the pan and whisk the dry ingredients
Set the frying pan over medium heat so it warms while you mix. Put the self-raising flour and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk them together with a balloon whisk, pressing out any lumps of brown sugar against the side of the bowl. Stop when the mixture is an even sandy colour with no clumps of sugar or flour left.
2Mix in the egg and milk
Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture. Crack in the egg, pour in half the milk, and whisk from the centre outward to draw in the flour. You will get a thick, heavy batter. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, whisking after each addition, and stop when the batter is smooth. As a guide, it is ready when it falls from a spoon and holds its shape in the bowl. You may need slightly more or less milk to get there.
Add the milk in stagesStarting with half the milk lets you whisk out lumps while the batter is stiff. Adding the rest gradually lets you stop at the right thickness. A batter that is too thin spreads into flat, lacy discs instead of thick little rounds.
3Butter the pan and drop the batter
Rub a thin film of butter over the hot pan. It should melt and shine without smoking. Drop the batter in 1½ tbsp portions, leaving space between each one so they can spread. Each portion should settle into a neat round on its own without touching its neighbour.
4Flip at the bubbles and cook through
Watch the tops of the pikelets. When bubbles appear on the surface, slide the spatula underneath and turn each one over. Cook the second side until it is lightly golden and the pikelet is cooked through. Move the cooked ones to a plate, then butter the pan again and repeat with the remaining batter.
Let the bubbles decideBubbles on the surface are the cue to turn. Judge each batch by the bubbles rather than the clock, since no cooking time is set for this recipe.
5Whip the cream
Pour the thickened cream into a clean bowl. Beat it with the electric hand mixer until it reaches soft peaks, where a peak curls over when the beaters are lifted. Add the icing sugar mixture and keep beating to stiff peaks. Stop when the peaks stand up straight on the lifted beaters and the cream holds its shape in the bowl.
6Serve with jam and cream
Arrange the pikelets on a serving plate, warm or cooled. Top each one with a spoonful of raspberry jam and a spoonful of whipped cream. You can also set out the jam and cream in bowls so everyone dresses their own. They are ready when the red jam and white cream sit on top of each golden round, and the teapot is on the table.