By Vanessa Wade

IT has been a while since I did an American recipe for this column but a few days ago, while writing our new Saturday Brunch menu at The Vane, I came across this and had to share it with you.

A few years back Tom and I were in Austin, Texas and one morning over breakfast got into a discussion with the chef/owner of a great little spot called The Counter Café. They served the most fantastic blueberry pancakes and I asked what made them so good.

“Simple” came the answer, “we use yeast not baking powder/bicarb”. He explained that by using yeast you get the same leavening action that you do from baking powder or bicarbonate of soda just without the chemicals. You therefore don’t get any of the chemically taste or texture although the process does take a little longer. This inspired me to come up with my own recipe for yeast based pancakes. What I have come up with is a modified version of a blini recipe that I first learned from my cousin.

One thing you may notice is that the recipe calls for fresh yeast. A lot of supermarkets now sell fresh yeast but if you are struggling you should be able to buy some form your nearest bakery. If all else fails you can get it online.

Just to clarify – what we Americans refer to as pancakes are not the same as what you guys eat on Shrove Tuesday. The Shrove Tuesday pancake is a thin, French-style crepe whereas this recipe gives you a thicker, lighter more soft and spongy pancake.

One of the great things about this recipe is that once you have made it, it will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can knock up a recipe before a night out and the next morning you have the perfect hangover breakfast just waiting to be cooked. Alternatively you can come to The Vane on Saturday morning and we’ll cook them for you.

American-style pancakes

Ingredients:

12g fresh yeast
450g milk at 36°C
150g wholemeal flour
255g plain flour
7g salt
3 eggs, separated
100g vegetable oil
30g sugar

Method:

In a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast into the warm milk. Add the flours, salt and sugar and mix by hand until completely combined but be careful not over work the mixture!

Put the egg yolks into a food processor and on high speed slowly add the oil to form an emulsion (as if you were making mayonnaise). Be careful not to add the oil too quickly as the mix will split.

Gently fold the egg/oil emulsion into the flour mixture in the mixing bowl then place a towel over it and leave it at room temperature to prove. It needs to double in size which should take 1-1½ hours.

Once it has proved, lightly whip the egg whites and fold into the mixture.

On the stove heat a frying pan on a medium to high heat. Add a little fat to stop the pancake form sticking then ladle some of the mix into the pan. Cook on each side until brown. The pancakes should be light, soft and springy and a beautiful colour. If the heat is too low they will take too long to colour and will be overcooked and chewy. If the heat is too high they will be black on the outside but still uncooked and liquid in the middle.

Serve with good quality sweet cured bacon, butter and maple syrup – blueberries are also traditional.

Vanessa Wade, with her husband Tom, owns and runs The Vane Arms at Thorpe Thewles, County Durham.