Cheese & Chive Pancakes
Cheese & Chive Pancakes, a savoury version of Scotch pancakes or drop scones, make a great breakfast, lunch, or snack. The simple batter of flour, milk and an egg plus mature Cheddar, Parmesan and fresh chives, is whisked together in seconds. Drop spoonfuls onto a hot greased pan or griddle and cook 2 – 3 minutes per side to get light and fluffy, cheesy and herby pancakes.
Eat with a dab of butter to melt on top, plus extra cheese if liked. Also lovely with eggs, crispy bacon, smoked salmon, or part of a traditional big breakfast. You can even make in advance, chill or freeze, and reheat in a microwave for super-quick fluffy pancakes.
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PANCAKES, SCOTCH PANCAKES OR DROP SCONES?
As I write, it’s been a week since Pancake Day. But, in my book, a pancake is for life and not just Shrove Tuesday.
In Britain, we still seem to favour the thin, crepe-like ones. And here in North Staffordshire we go mad for Staffordshire Oatcakes. However, I’m also a fan of thicker, fluffier pancakes which, quite wrongly, are often thought of as American style.
The truth is, Britain has its own tradition of thick and fluffy pancakes in the form of Scotch (or Scottish) pancakes and drop (or dropped) scones. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the British and American versions are that the ones over here are usually smaller.
While sweet toppings such as lemon and sugar, maple syrup, honey, jam, etc. are popular, I wanted to create a savoury fluffy pancake. The result was dead easy, cheesy and herby Cheese & Chive Pancakes.
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CHEESE & CHIVE PANCAKES
For these pancakes you’ll need:
- self-raising flour: check it’s well within its Best Before date
- a little salt
- milk
- an egg
- cheese
- fresh chives
- butter and oil for cooking
Cheese-wise, I like a combination of mature Cheddar plus a little Parmesan. These give a good savoury, cheesy hit with just the right amount of melt.
You can cook the pancakes in oil or butter. But I think the flavour of butter is best, tempered with a little bland oil like sunflower which helps to stop it burning. Before I start cooking the Cheese & Chive Pancakes, I melt the butter with the oil in a small saucepan.
THE BATTER
To make the batter, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. You can include a teaspoon of baking powder for extra lift if you like. But I don’t find it necessary with self-raising flour that hasn’t been hanging around in the cupboard for too long.
The milk and egg are whisked together in a jug before being combined with the sifted flour and salt.
Finally, the cheese and chives are folded into the batter. And that’s it. Your batter is ready.
Don’t worry if it looks thick compared to crepe-like pancake batters. That’s how it should be for fluffy pancakes.
COOKING CHEESE & CHIVE PANCAKES
To cook the pancakes, you’ll need either a large frying pan or griddle. Ideally, you want to be able to cook three or four at once. I love my electric table top grill. I find the temperature really easy to control and, best of all, I can cook four, five, or even six fluffy pancakes in one go.
It’s up to you how big you make your Cheese & Chive Pancakes. I use a tablespoon of batter for each one, which gives me 16 – 18 pancakes.
The (not-so-secret) secret to cooking pancakes is a correct temperature. As appliances vary, I recommend cooking a test one first and then adjusting as necessary. I heat my griddle, whose temperature goes up to 5, to number 3. When it’s up to heat I brush on a smear of my butter and oil mixture. If it sizzles straight away, I know it’s ready. If not, I leave a little longer.
Then I drop several tablespoons of batter over the griddle, leaving space for them to spread, and leave for two and a half minutes. If you’re not very good at estimating, I recommend setting a timer.
When the time’s up, have a peek underneath to check it’s nicely browned. You should also see a few bubbles on the top surface, particularly around the edges. If they’re not quite there, leave another thirty seconds. If they’re not ready after three minutes, consider upping the heat a smidgen.
Now turn the pancakes over and cook the other side for two to two and a half minutes.
As the cheese starts to heat and melt, you’ll get a lovely sizzle and ooze. Cheesy bits on the outside of the pancake will get delectably toasty!
As the pancakes are done, transfer them to a clean tea towel. You could keep warm in a low oven, but I think it’s too easy to overcook them that way.
It’s surprising how long they stay warm, and, in any case, Cheese & Chive Pancakes reheat brilliantly. So don’t worry too much.
Just keep going, using up the batter to make more lovely fluffy pancakes. Remember to grease the pan or griddle before each batch.
SERVING CHEESE & CHIVE PANCAKES
Full of herby, cheesy flavour, you can eat Cheese & Chive Pancakes just as they are. But, as a minimum, I do like a pat of butter on a stack of them. A little extra cheese and a sprinkle of chives doesn’t go amiss either.
If reheating, I ping a stack in the microwave for about a minute. Then I finish with a curl of butter, cheese, and chives to serve. Fantastic!
Cheese & Chive Pancakes are also a quicker alternative to Potato Farls, Cakes or Scones – whether eaten as part of a big breakfast of sausages, bacon, black pudding etc. or just poached eggs.
When I have cheesy pancakes with egg on top, I often add a sprinkle of mild Aleppo pepper and a grind of black pepper.
And don’t forget that American classic of crispy bacon with soft and fluffy pancakes. I must admit, I forgo the usual maple syrup and stick with more cheese and chives.
You could even make mini versions to serve as blinis. Imagine a teeny, cheesy, chive pancake topped with soured cream and smoked salmon. Yum!
QUICK, EASY, DELICIOUS
If you can cook three or four pancakes at a time, then I reckon that you only need thirty minutes start to finish. And that includes making the batter. Which means Cheese & Chive Pancakes are an easy weekend breakfast or brunch treat.
But if you want to make in advance, the pancakes will be fine in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days. They even freeze well too. Ideal for a quick meal or snack.
If you’ve made these Cheese & Chive Pancakes, I’d love to hear what you thought and what you ate them with.
Leave a comment & don’t forget to rate the recipe!
Cheese & Chive Pancakes
A type of Scotch pancake or drop scone, these light and fluffy savoury pancakes make a great breakfast, lunch or snack.
Serve hot with a dab of butter plus extra cheese if liked. Also good with eggs, crispy bacon or smoked salmon.
Ingredients
For the pancake batter
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 250 ml milk
- 1 egg
- 110 g mature Cheddar cheese coarsely grated
- 40 g Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 10-15 g chives finely chopped
For cooking the pancakes
- 10g butter + 1 tsp oil
To serve (optional)
- butter
- grated cheese
Instructions
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Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
In a jug, whisk together the milk and egg.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and gradually add the contents of the jug, whisking as you go, to make a smooth batter.
Fold in the cheese and chives.
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Put the butter and oil for cooking the pancakes in a small saucepan and heat until the butter is melted. Take off the heat.
Heat either a large frying pan or a griddle to medium hot.
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Brush the pan or griddle with a light coating of the butter and oil: it will sizzle immediately when hot enough.
Add 1 tablespoon of batter per pancake: as many as will fit without crowding.
Tip: you may want to cook a test pancake first then adjust the temperature if necessary before cooking the rest.
Cook until a few bubbles appear around the edges of each pancake and the underside is golden brown (approx 2½ minutes: cook another 30 seconds if necessary) then turn over and cook the other side (2 - 2½ min).
Tip: if the pancake isn't ready to turn after 3 minutes, you may need to increase the heat a little.
Wrap the cooked pancakes in a clean tea towel to keep warm while you use up the rest of the batter to make more, lightly greasing the pan or griddle each time.
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Serve warm with butter and a sprinkling of extra cheese if liked.
Reheat in a microwave if necessary: this will retain the fluffy texture.
Can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days or frozen.
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second time i have made cheese and chives pancakes and they are delicious, also work really well frozen, defrost and warm gentle in the oven thanks for another great recipe Regards Bryan
Thank you Bryan!
Now we’re into wild garlic season I’m thinking of trying a batch with some instead of chives. Should be good too.