Pikelets are one of the great, easy Saturday morning, delicious things to do. Universally popular, they don’t have to be pretty or neat, and they just use stuff people usually have in the pantry.

And you can fancy them up a bit if you like, and that makes them even better. Certainly today’s – with added banana in some, and apple in others – disappeared in record time.

I’ve just used the standard, near universal recipe, with two small differences: I use soured milk and kefir (butter milk is also OK) instead of plain milk. The soured milk comes from the recipe I used when I started making these as a kid, and I like the flavour it gives. You can, of course, use plain milk if you’d rather.

And I let the batter sit for at least half an hour before I use it, typically adding a bit more milk just before I start cooking, because it tends to thicken. And that’s just because that’s how mum used to make pancakes. I know they’re not the same, but somehow that bit stuck.

Pikelets

I cup s/r flour (I had none, so I used plain flour with 1½tsp of baking powder and a pinch of salt)
1 tbs caster sugar
1/2 tsp bicarb

1 lightly beaten egg
2 tbs melted butter
1/3 cup of soured milk  (plain milk soured to the point of curdling with the addition of 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice. Don’t be afraid to add more)
1/3 cup of kefir (mine is home-made, but feel free to use buttermilk or more soured milk).

Mix everything with a whisk or spoon until all the lumps are gone. Let it sit for 20 minutes to half an hour and add more milk if necessary to make a good batter.

For variation: have sliced banana and finely sliced apple (preferably a cooking apple, but any is ok) ready.

Get the frypan hot and add some butter. When it’s sizzling, drop a small ladle of batter. I usually have three to a large frypan. Wait until you see the batter bubble, then check. If the underneath is golden, flip. Just add a smear of the butter to the pan between each lot.

For variation: As soon as you have the batter in the pan, put some slices of apple OR banana on top of each pikelet. Then flip them once the batter has started to show bubbles.

Serve with: I served with some cooked, syrupy berries and yoghurt, but also good are jam, honey, lemon juice and sugar, and sugar and cinnamon.

Verdict: fantastic