Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Hello again! Now, I know what you’re thinking: "Chef, aren't British pancakes supposed to be thin, served with lemon and sugar?" Yes, on Shrove Tuesday. But for a lazy weekend brunch, we need something substantial. We are borrowing the American "fluffy stack" concept but executing it with proper technique and top-tier ingredients. No dry, pre-packaged chocolate chips here—we are chopping real chocolate!

Pancakes are entirely about heat control. A thin, cheap frying pan will burn your pancakes on the outside while leaving the middle raw. I highly recommend a heavy-duty non-stick pan—a GreenPan or a Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick frying pan. They distribute heat evenly across the hob, ensuring a perfectly golden surface and preventing the melting chocolate from sticking to the bottom.

Ingredients

For the Dry Mix:

• Plain Flour: 200g.
• Baking Powder: 1 ½ tsp.
• Bicarbonate of Soda: ½ tsp (this reacts with the buttermilk for maximum fluffiness).
• Caster Sugar: 2 tbsp.
• Sea Salt: A generous pinch.
• For the Wet Mix:
• Buttermilk: 250ml (Essential for tenderness. If you can't find it, use regular milk with a squeeze of lemon juice).
• Eggs: 2 large free-range eggs.
• Butter: 40g unsalted, melted and slightly cooled (plus extra for frying).
• Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp of the good stuff.

The Star of the Show:

Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa): 100g. Chef's strict instruction: Buy a good quality bar and chop it roughly with a knife. You want irregular shards and chunks, not uniform little drops.

The Method

1. The Dry & Wet Prep

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, and salt. In a separate jug, lightly beat the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter.

2. The Mix (Tread Lightly!)
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Use a spatula to gently fold them together. The Golden Rule of Pancakes: Do not overmix! Lumps are your friends. If you beat the batter until it's smooth, you will develop the gluten, and your pancakes will be tough and rubbery. Gently fold in your chopped dark chocolate right at the end.

3. The Rest
Let the batter sit for exactly 10 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate and the baking powder to start working its magic. You'll see little bubbles forming on the surface.

4. The Fry
Heat your non-stick frying pan over a medium-low hob. Melt a tiny knob of butter and wipe the excess away with a piece of kitchen paper (too much butter makes crispy, uneven edges; we want smooth and golden). Ladle in the batter. Cook for 2–3 minutes until you see bubbles appearing on the surface and popping.

5. The Flip
Carefully slide a wide spatula underneath and flip confidently. Cook for another 1–2 minutes on the other side until it puffs up beautifully.

The "Oven Trick": To serve everyone at once, keep the cooked pancakes on a wire rack in a warm oven (around 100°C) while you fry the rest. Do not stack them in the oven, or they will steam and go soggy!


To Serve:  Add a slice of salted butter on top, and pour over  amount of Grade A maple syrup.