Fluffy American Pancakes

Ingredients

• 135g/4¾oz plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 130ml/4½fl oz milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp melted butter (allowed to cool slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for cooking

To serve

• Maple syrup
• Butter

Preparation method

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.
2. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stand for a few minutes.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it's melted, add a ladle of batter (or two if your frying pan is big enough to cook two pancakes at the same time). It will seem very thick but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm (½in) thick.
4. Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan.
5. Serve with lashings of real maple syrup and extra butter if you like.
   
   
   
   
   

Mini Jam Donuts

Ingredients 

• 175ml whole milk
• 75g golden caster sugar
• 10g (2 tsp) dried active yeast
• 425g strong white bread flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 medium eggs , lightly beaten
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 75g unsalted butter , softened
• 4-5 tbsp strawberry jam

• 25g unsalted butter , melted
• 6 tbsp caster sugar

Method.

1. Heat the milk until just below boiling point, remove from the heat and cool until hand-warm. Add 1 tsp of the sugar and the dried active yeast. Whisk then leave in a warm place for 5 minutes until the yeast has formed a thick foam on top of the milk.
2. Tip the flour, remaining sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, orange zest, softened butter and yeasty milk mixture. Using a wooden spoon mix until the mixture forms a soft dough. Tip out of the bowl and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough will be on the sticky side. Form into a ball and return to a clean bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size.
3. Tip the dough out onto the work surface and knead lightly again for 30 seconds and then roll out to a thickness of about 1cm. Using a 5-6cm plain round cutter, stamp out circles and transfer them to parchment-covered baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between each doughnut. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
4. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Bake the doughnuts for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the doughnuts all over with melted butter, toss in the sugar and leave to cool for 15 minutes.
5. Spoon the jam into a disposable piping bag and snip off the end to form a small nozzle. Use a wooden skewer to make a hole in the side of each doughnut, push the piping bag into the hole and fill with about a teaspoon of jam. Serve warm or cold.