Make Scotch Pancakes like a Scot
Scotch Pancakes are soft, light and slightly sweet, they are really easy to make on the stovetop with a girdle or frying pan. Let me show you how you can easily transform a simple sweetened batter into a light and fluffy pancakes that everyone will love.
I couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old when I remember standing on a stool by the stove helping my granny to make pancakes. That’s how simple it is to make pancakes. She taught me to watch the bubbles burst so I knew that it was time to turn over the pancakes to cook the other side.
What are Scotch Pancakes?
Scotch Pancakes are small, thick pancakes not to be confused with the large thin ‘crepe’ style of pancake. They are very similar to the breakfast pancakes made in the USA, probably because the early settlers took their recipes with them.
In Scotland, we just call them pancakes or drop scones or even, pan scones. All of these names describe the same batter based pancake.
Why are Pancakes made in a pan?
Most traditional Scottish recipes are those which were made by ordinary working people. At this time only the rich and the baker had an oven therefore the main method of cooking for ordinary people was over a fire.
A pot would hang over the fire to cook the porridge, broth or stew. The kettle might hang from the hook or sit on an iron plate to the side of the fire to heat all the water the household would use. I couldn’t find the exact image to show this, but I think these two give the general picture.
To make traditional Scottish bread such as bannocks, oatcakes, pancakes, and tattie (potato) scones, the girdle (this is the correct Scottish spelling), a flat black iron pan would be heated by the fire to bake the bread.
What kind of pan do I need to make Scotch Pancakes?
Use a traditional girdle if you have one, the heat is evenly spread through the thick cast iron pan and it is easier to turn the pancakes because it doesn’t have an edge.
If you don’t have a girdle, use a large thick-based frying pan. You can make perfectly good pancakes in a frying pan. I often use my large non-stick frying pan for convenience and the pancakes turn out just the same.
The Scotch Pancake Recipe
I got this recipe from our neighbour, who got it from a second cousin of my father-in-law. In a rural community, everyone is connected! My mother makes great pancakes, however, when she tasted my pancakes using this recipe she started to use it too.
Like all my Scottish recipes this one is particular to me and my family., I don’t claim that it is the definitive Scotch Pancake recipe. You may have your own recipe but I hope you will try mine because these pancakes really do taste very good.
How do I serve Scotch Pancakes?
In Scotland, we serve our pancakes with butter and jam and a cup of tea. Scones and pancakes are the mainstays of a Scottish High Tea.
High Tea is a substantial meal that is served in the early evening. It includes a main course such as a mixed grill or a pie. This is followed by scones and pancakes served with butter and jam and sometimes cheese. If you are very lucky there might even be some cake!
It’s much more common now to serve pancakes for breakfast with maple syrup. But you can eat them any way that you like.
How do I store Scotch Pancakes?
Scotch Pancakes are best eaten fresh. You can store them wrapped in a tea towel in an airtight container for a day or so, but they are a quick bread and they will deteriorate in quality.
Can I freeze Scotch Pancakes?
Yes, pancakes freeze really well for up to 3 months. Lay the cooled pancakes on a tray or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and open freeze. Once they are frozen put them into a bag or airtight box and store your freezer.
Pancakes are really quick to defrost. Lay them inside a clean tea towel or between sheets of kitchen paper towels on top of a cooling tray and leave for about 10 minutes You can also defrost them in the microwave or you can pop them into your toaster for a short time.
I don’t have self-raising flour, what can I use?
75g of plain (all-purpose) flour +1 tsp of baking powder OR 75g of plain (all-purpose) flour + 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
How to make Scotch Pancakes like a Scot
Here are the step-by-step photographs to help you make Scotch Pancakes like a Scot. The full details of the ingredients and method are in the printable recipe card at the end of this article.
The Ingredients
You will need:
- Plain (All Purpose) flour
- Self-raising flour
- Caster Sugar
- Bicarbonate of Soda
- Cream of Tartar
- Golden Syrup
- Egg
- Milk
- Oil
Make the batter
- Sift the all the dry ingredients into a wide jug or bowl
- Add the oil, egg and golden syrup and a little of the milk. Use a whisk to blend them together.
- Add the milk a little at a time until you have a batter that is the consistency of unwhipped double (heavy) cream.
Heat the girdle or pan
Heat the pan to a medium heat, on my electric stove this is setting no. 3. Getting the heat right is trial and error and you may have to turn the heat up and down to get it just right.
Grease the pan
Lightly grease the pan with a butter paper (the wrapper from the butter) or a little bit of butter on a piece of baking parchment. You may need to use a cloth or kitchen paper behind the parchment as the pan will be hot.
Top Tip
Use very little butter. Think about it like greasing a baking tin rather than frying in a pan.
Make a test pancake
Try a teaspoon of the mixture in the pan to see if the bubbles form on top. It takes about 20-30 seconds for the bubbles to start if the pan is at the right temperature.
Make the Pancakes
Measure the batter
I use a serving spoon to get the right amount of batter for my pancakes. You can pour from a jug, use a ladle, a cup or other measure. The more batter the bigger the pancake.
Don’t overcrowd the pan
You need space to turn the pancakes, so don’t put them too close together. You might want to try making one at a time until you get into the swing of it.
How do I know when to turn the Scotch Pancakes?
Turn the pancakes when the bubbles pop in the top of your pancake. Use a spatula to carefully turn the pancake.
How do I know when the Scotch Pancakes are ready?
Once you turn the pancakes they only take a minute or two to cook. Lift them slightly with your spatula and if the underside is brown they are ready.
Keep the pancakes soft while you make more
Put the pancakes inside a clean tea towel on a cooling tray. This will keep them soft and slightly warm. Add more batter to your pan and keep making pancakes until all the batter has gone.
More Pancake Recipes from Farmersgirl Kitchen
Cinnamon Spice Pancakes are thick American-style pancakes with added spice. They have a lovely sweet cinnamon flavour, and are delicious with Greek yogurt and plum compote. Perfect for breakfast or even for dessert.
Seafood Pancakes are easy to make and packed with delicious flavours. Let me show you how to make this recipe for simple pancakes filled with a creamy seafood sauce.
Crespelle Sweet Italian Pancakes are classic crepe-style sweet pancakes which make a really delicious dessert with a filling of dried fruits and a little sweet syrup.
More Pancake Recipes
- 3 Ingredient Banana Nutella Pancakes – Fab Food 4 All
- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes (Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Vegan) – Gluterama
- Crepes Suzette – Recipes Made Easy
- Sweet Potato Pancakes with Sweetcorn and Chilli – Feast Glorious Feast
More Scottish Recipes
You can find the recipe index in the menu at the top of every page along with other ways to sort recipes including a handy shortcut to find my Scottish inspired and traditional recipes.
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Scotch Pancakes
Ingredients
- 175 grams (1 cups) plain flour
- 75 grams (⅓ cups) self-raising flour
- 75 grams (⅓ cups) caster superfine sugar
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) cooking oil
- 1 (1) large egg
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) Golden syrup
- A pinch of salt
- 300 millilitres (1¼ cups) milk approximately
Instructions
- 175 grams plain flour, 75 grams self-raising flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar, 75 grams casterSift the flours, raising agents, salt and sugar into a large jug or bowl.
- 2 teaspoon cooking oil, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoon Golden syrup, 300 millilitres milkAdd the oil, egg and golden syrup to the dry ingredients with a little of the milk.
- Whisk together, adding more milk as you go until you have a smooth, lump-free bather.
- You can use an electric whisk or blend the ingredients with a stick blender or in a jug blender.
- Heat the pan to medium heat. Use a very little butter on a piece of parchment paper or use a butter wrapper, to grease your pan. Think about it as greasing a baking tin rather than frying in a pan.
- Test a teaspoon of batter to see it is hot enough. The bubbles should start to form after 20 –30 seconds.
- I use a serving spoon to get the right amount of batter for my pancakes. You can pour from a jug, use a ladle, a cup or other measure. The more batter the bigger the pancake.
- When the bubbles pop in the tip of your pancake, turn it over with a spatula.
- Cook for another minute or two until the underside is brown.
- Place your pancakes on a tea towel placed on a cooling rack, fold the tea towel over the pancakes to keep them soft until all the pancakes are ready.
Video
Notes
- You can make the batter ahead of time and leave, covered, for up to an hour.
- Do not overcrowd your pan because you need space to turn them.
- Pancakes freeze really well for up to 3 months. Lay them out on a flat tray and place in the freezer, then put them in a bag or box, remember to label them with the date.
Never made Scotch pancakes before and was asked to get some for kids club. Made a double portion, and the test batch I ate myself tasted delicious. Mine didn’t rise quite as much as the ones on your pictures, but I left the batter a bit too long. Kids and mums both loved them, so success all around. Need to make some for easy breakfasts for me and freeze them!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Izzi. I’m so pleased your first pancake making was a big success. If you use a little less milk you get a slightly thicker batter and your pancakes won’t spread quite so much. It’s definitely a matter of eyeballing the mix to see if it is the right consistency. I saw your pancakes on Facebook and they looked absolutely perfect.
Bannocks we like to call them in Aberdeenshire. This is a very similar recipe to the one which is in my SWRI (Aberdeenshire Edition) cook book passed down from my grandmother. Best enjoyed with butter and jam!
Great post.
Thanks, Callum. Now I’ve never heard pancakes called bannocks before, always learning something new. It’s so hard to attribute recipes that have been handed on scribbled on scraps of paper, so this one may well have come from the Rural (SWRI) at some point, thanks again for your kind comments.
These look incredible. I love Scotch pancakes so much. We had them so much growing up. I need to have them again!
Thanks, Sisley. They are so simple to make, I hope you try them soon.
I tried this and they were delicious. Really lovely and light, all i needed on them was a good slather of butter. I’ll def make them again… Really soon!
It’s so good to hear that you enjoyed the pancakes, they are a bit addictive!
Just made a batch of these and frozen them for easy breakfasts. Great recipe! Took me a couple of goes to get the temperature just right and then we were flying. ? Will definitely make these again!
Thanks for letting me know, Helen. I’m glad you enjoyed the pancakes, the temperature is definitely the key, I find myself turning it up and down a few times as it never seems to stay constant.
I can just smell these, Janice! How lovely. My gran used to make these just about every day – she lived on her own in Edinburgh and actually didn’t make meals but just made a few pancakes and lived off them, I think! To think I was so rude with the girdle reference each time, though. Kids!
Yes, I think everyone’s granny made pancakes, but I’m not sure that living off them was a good idea! I never thought anything about the girdle, it was just what we called it.
I’ve searched for ages for a recipe for Scotch pancakes that included syrup – at last I’ve found it and I’ve been back to Pancake Heaven. My Mother had an old pullout from the People’s Journal newspaper “Recipes from The Rural” which was misplaced years ago. Finally I’ve met up with my favourite pancakes again!
Oh, that’s great to hear, Elizabeth. I’m so glad you have been reunited with the best pancakes 🙂
I’ve just made these pancakes and they are delicious… I’ve been making pancakes for as long as I can remember, but this is the first time I’ve seen recipe using golden syrup.. I will definitely be making them again…
I didn’t have cream of tartar, so I just had to use baking powder on its own….But will get Cream of tartar for next time…
I’m so pleased you liked the golden syrup in the pancakes, Lorna. My Mum had been making them without for decades but when I introduced her to this recipe she started to use it as well.
Oh thank you so much, Jennie. I’ve had lots of good feedback for the recipe, so I hope you enjoy them too.
CAN YOU ADD DRIED FRUIT TO THIS RECIPE
Hello, apologies for the delay in replying. Yes, you could add dried fruit to the recipe.
These are the perfect pancake, light as a feather, fluffy inside and really delicious. Easy to make. I made them today for Shrove Tuesday for lunch for my mum, it has become a bit of a tradition, each year now. I make a different recipe every year but we both agree it will be these from now on. I made the full batch to freeze some but have kept a couple out to be part of an Ulster Fry breakfast tomorrow. Thank you for your great recipes I have now tried a few savoury and sweet and they are all very good, particularly love your lentil soup made with a ham shank
Thank you so much for your lovely comments, Jayne. I’m so happy that you like the pancakes and the lentil soup, they are favourites of mine too.
Decided to have a go at making pancakes using your recipe and we absolutely loved them! Thank you Janice for sharing your delicious recipes and beautiful pictures!
Thank you for your kind comments. I’m so glad you enjoyed the pancakes.
Since discovering your recipe quite a while ago this is the only pancake recipe I now use.. I always make them to take to my sister and she loves them…
I was just going through the recipe as I’m making them in the morning, but I’m wondering (& correct me if I’m wrong) But I think there is a discrepancy with your measurements in grams to cup…
I did wonder before, but have always used the scales for grams weight so it was fine..but not sure if I’d used the cup measurements if it would be correct… I just thought I’d run that by you…????????
(5 stars for the explainations, and surely the taste, even if I’ve not tried yet)
Well : at last, a recipe which give very precise details, or personal indications which help a lot, as for example the number 3 you use on your electric stove. A lot of thanks for this !!! Many thanks also for answering everybody, it’s quite rare on cooking sites !
You are also one of the rare persons not to consider that baking soda and baking power have the same power : when saying “75g of plain (all-purpose) flour +1 tsp of baking powder OR 75g of plain (all-purpose) flour + 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda” you show that the proportion of baking powder is bigger than the proportion of bicarbonate of soda, and the explaination is that baking powder is at least 3 times less powerfull than bicarbonate of soda, so you need put more (well, I nevertheless dare put 3 times more baking powder when I make a recipe using baking soda and I have only baking powder, but anyway I put twice the quantity, and it works).
I have a question : in your final recipe, you use both flours (plain AND self-rising) and both leavening agents (baking powder AND baking soda). If we consider that baking powder already contains bicarbonate + cream of tartar (+ starch), what is the interest of putting both, especially since there are no acid agent in the batter to make the bicarbonate react ? I could understant the use of bicarbonate if using buttermilk (acid ingredient) instead of common milk, but here it’s not the case (by the way : did you try with buttermilk ?…).
I’m sorry for this long message, and for my unperfect english (and probably old school, because learnt around 70 years ago). I hope getting an answer (no emergency : let the end of year go quietly, happily, and yummily !)
Thankyou once more
MC
Thank you for your kind comments and detailed questions! I have not considered why I use this combination of raising agents because this recipe is one which has passed from hand to hand and it works! I hope you enjoy the Scotch Pancakes.