Danish Pancake

Ingredients

• 375 g wheat flour
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 9 dl milk
• 4 eggs
• butter or margarine

Method

Whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs, then pour in half the milk. Stir from the centre outward, drawing in the flour gradually, until you've got a thick paste without lumps. Pour in the remaining milk in stages, whisking constantly, until the batter reaches the consistency of single cream — thin enough to coat the back of a spoon but thick enough to hold its shape briefly on the surface. This method prevents lumps by controlling hydration and gives you a batter smooth enough to spread thinly across the pan. Rest the batter for 15 minutes; the flour will fully hydrate and the gluten will relax, which gives you thinner, more delicate pancakes.

Heat a 25 cm non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add a knob of butter — roughly 10 g — and let it foam completely; the froth subsiding tells you the water has evaporated and the fat is ready to conduct heat evenly. Tilt the pan off the heat and pour in about 100 ml of batter in a thin stream around the circumference, then tilt and rotate the pan to spread it into an even, crepe-like layer. Return to the heat immediately.

Watch for the edges to dry out and lift slightly — around 60 to 90 seconds — and for the underside to turn golden-brown with small scattered dark patches (never solid brown; that's overcooked). The surface should look dull and set, not wet. Use a thin palette knife or spatula to slide underneath and flip decisively in one movement. Cook the second side for another 30 to 45 seconds until it's pale gold. The second side cooks faster because the pan is already hot and the batter thinner from the first pancake's heat.

Transfer to a warm plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding a small dab of fresh butter to the pan before each pancake — this ensures consistent browning and prevents the residual browned milk solids from burning and turning bitter. These pancakes eat warm, straight from the pan, folded or rolled with jam, pan-frying|pan-fried fruit, or a dusting of caster sugar.