Pancake Weather

In South Africa we make pancakes when it rains.

Directly translated, we bake pancakes.

These are not American pancakes, neither British nor French.

They are neither crumpets nor crepes.

They are pancakes.

This afternoon Riyadh had a brief trickle of rain.  It rains, you make pancakes.

You start off with the batter (a family recipe) which has thickened in the fridge for at least 3 or 4 hours.   You NEVER make the pancakes with freshly made batter.   It's simply too runny.   The gluten needs to develop so that the pancakes are soft and not chewy.

You take the cold, thickened batter out of the fridge, turn on the heat and get a heavy pan ready.   Stir the batter thoroughly and add a bit water if its too thick.    

Family tip:    add a teaspoon or two of sunflower oil to THE BATTER.    

While you are waiting for the pan to heat up really well, mix white sugar and ground cinnamon in a bowl or jar.   Get a large plate ready and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on the base of the plate.    When the pan is sizzling hot, add one ladle of batter to the pan, and swirl gently until a perfect pancake is formed.

The perfect pancake has a frilly lace edge with bubbles rising in the middle.  

FLIP!

The finished pancakes are stacked in the plate with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on each pancake.

The sign of a master:    the batter and the cinnamon sugar (nothing being measured beforehand) will be finished at the same time.

If you don't have any caramel treat in your grocery cupboard, cook condensed milk in its UNOPENED can in a saucepan of water for 2 hours.   

Add the finishing touches

Enjoy with coffee and listen to the rain on the roof.