Light, fluffy, easy pancakes with plumped dried fruit, orange zest and spice make a delicious snack, dessert or scrumptious weekend brunch served with a knob of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.
For the best results, make sure your self-raising flour and bicarbonate of soda are well within their Best Before date and, if opened, have been stored in an airtight container.
Put the sultanas in a heatproof container and cover with boiling water from a kettle. Set aside to plump up while you prepare the other ingredients.
Whisk the milk and egg together in a jug and set aside.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the orange zest, sugar and the well-drained sultanas.
Gradually whisk the contents of the jug into the flour mixture to create a batter.
Put the butter and oil for cooking the pancakes in a small saucepan or microwaveable bowl and heat until the butter is melted. Take off the heat.
Heat either a large frying pan or a griddle to medium hot.
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 and pop on the surface of the pancakes and the underside is golden brown (approx. 2 minutes: cook another 30 seconds if necessary) then turn over and cook the other side (roughly 1½ min).
Tip: if the pancake isn't ready to turn after 2½ 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, lightly greasing the pan or griddle each time.
Serve the pancakes 4 - 6 per person with a knob of butter, maple syrup, more orange zest and sprinkle of cinnamon.
Cooked pancakes can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days or frozen. To reheat, ping in a microwave to retain the fluffy texture, either in a single layer or stacked.