Pancakes are a great idea… in theory. But who wants to be toiling away at a stove top, flipping and sweating while others tuck into your hard work? Why would you tear yourself away from bed to cater for others’ breakfast, only to become a slave to everyone else’s ante-meridian sweet teeth? You can’t even sit down to soak up the compliments for your efforts as they’re all seated, attacking the rapidly diminishing stack of freshly whisked up pancakes that you’re battling to supply.

So, I’ve got the solution. Why make loads when you can make one large pancake to divide between your salivating guests? This is the pancake to top all pancakes – it makes even the most indulgent of American pancakes look pitiful and mean. It’s giant, thic(cc)k, pillowy and stuffed with blueberries. It can be dressed up, piled high with tumbled berries and drenched with lashings of maple syrup. Or, you can keep it humble, and nostalgic, with a curl of salted butter (vegan or not vegan) that glistens as it sinks into the caramelised surface of the pancake.

Either way, this is a crowd pleaser.  The days of individual pancakes are over. 

This is also vegan. As with all recipes I would never vegan-ise something if it were to the detriment of flavour, texture or appearance. And none of that is lost in this recipe – it’s deliciously moist with a delicate vanilla flavour and a soft, fluffy crumb. It is also incredibly quick to whip up, and easy to make.

Giant Vegan Pancake (Serves 6)  

Ingredients

300g plain flour

45g cornmeal/fine polenta

45g caster sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

250ml plant-based milk (I use oat)

300g plant-based plain unsweetened yogurt (I use almond-based Alpro)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

200g blueberries

1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil for cooking

8-inch (minimum) skillet or pan with heatproof/metal handle that can go in the oven 

To serve (optional)

Maple syrup/golden syrup

Mixed berries

Vegan Butter

 Method

1) Preheat oven to 200C

2) In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. Pour in the milk, yogurt and vegetable oil, and briefly whisk together until smooth. Pour in the blueberries and gently fold together.

3) Heat the vegetable oil in pan/skillet over a medium heat and pour in the pancake batter. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan backwards and forwards occasionally so as to allow the batter to spread, and to prevent the batter from sticking.  When it starts bubbling up at the sides, remove from the stove and place in the oven to bake until cooked all the way through and an inserted cake tester skewer comes out clean – about 8-12 minutes. The top surface should be pale golden in colour.

4) To ease the inversion of the pancake, slide a knife between the pancake and the edge of the pan to help the pancake separate. Then, place a serving plate on top of the pancake and flip the pan into order to invert the pancake on to the serving plate. To serve, tumble over some berries and drizzle with maple syrup.

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