this has nothing to do with baby fish!

so here is the third post related to my other two on english morning breads, namely crumpets and english muffins. as the title of this blog post says, it has nothing to do with baby fish, even though the name — pikelets — could lead one to think otherwise (pikelets .... baby pike?). moving along .....

pikelets, when made in the british way, are the english equivalent of a cross between a crumpet and what we north americans would call a pancake or flapjack. it is not the same as australian everyday pikelets which are commonly made with baking powder (and therefore more like our pancakes). true pikelets are made with yeast and are typically smaller than the size of a small dessert plate, filled with little bubbles the result of the action of the yeast in concert with the heat of the griddle pan. the resulting texture is more of a spongy and firm one, not at all like a baking powder leavened pancake. pikelets are said to be the smaller version of historically larger crumpets and are cooked free form without the constraints of rings.

read here for an interesting small article about the differences between the three.


pikelets

made any size you want, these half-crumpet half-pancake little griddle cakes are great with butter and golden syrup (lyle's, of course) or honey. they can be spread with cream cheese and served with jams or even lox. give yourself an hour to an hour and half rising time though, easily done as you read the morning's newspaper on a weekend.

makes 10 - 18, depending on the size you make them

suggestion: make a 1/2 recipe for 2 or 3 people

ingredients:

228 gr all purpose flour (8 oz)
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
284 ml warm milk (10 oz)
1 egg

method:

mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl and blend well with a whisk.

add the yeast and mix again.

measure out egg and milk. heat milk until warm (if making a half recipe, mix egg and measure out half of it).

making a well in the center, add the milk and egg and mix well. whisk it together for about 1 or 2 minutes. it needs to be completely blended.

clean up sides of bowl with a spatula.

cover and let rise for a good hour. if it doesn't look frothed up then let it sit some more. make sure it's in a warm place.

suggestion: i often fill a bowl which will let the mixing bowl sit on top of it with about 2 inches of just boiled water. this creates a very warm heat source which helps the batter prove properly. the bowl with the batter must never sit in the boiled water. there must be a air space in between.

this is what it looks like when properly proved. beat it again now with a whisk. it will lose most of its bubbles and be thick and gloopy in texture.

heat your pan to medium heat and grease it a bit with butter.

add 2 to 3 good tablespoons of batter to the pan and take a palette knife and spread out the pikelet so it will cook evenly.

this is an offset palette knife, use it if you have one. if not, spread it out with another utensil. it must be spread out to cook properly. you'll see the bubbles as it is spread. don't over grease your pan as the batter won't adhere properly and it will be hard to spread the pikelet out.

within approximately 2 minutes, you will see little holes all over it, just like the tops of a crumpet. this is the sign to flip it over and cook on the other side for another 2 or 3 minutes.

remove to a plate and keep covered with a tea towel.

enjoy with butter, jam, preserves, syrups or honey.