Pancake Day is over for another year, but there's still the question of what to do with that extra batter.
You will likely have had your fill of the fluffy discs after enjoying them yesterday and while you could throw out any leftovers, there are other ways you can make use of that batter. Pancake lovers were previously warned against throwing extra batter down the kitchen sink as it can clog up plumping.
A recent study found that 20 per cent of households make too much batter and an estimated 25 million pancakes go to waste every year on Pancake Day. With the aim of reducing food wastage, Peter Sidwell, in-house chef at CookServeEnjoy, has suggested the foods that can be made with excess mix - and one surprisingly is served with Sunday dinner.
According to the cooking professional, pancake batter also makes for tasty Yorkshire puddings, as they are made from similar ingredients. “Technically, pancake and Yorkshire pudding batter are the same," Peter explained.
"To make Yorkshire puddings with leftover pancake mix, simply oil your pudding pans or a muffin tray and pop it in the oven, heated to around 200°C, for five minutes. Pour your batter in the holes and bake in the oven for around 20 minutes for deliciously puffed-up Yorkshires."
The cooking expert has also shared other ways to use up your extra batter after Pancake Day.
Sourdough bread
It turns out that pancake mix can also be used to make certain homemade breads.
Paul explained: “Fermented breads, like sourdough, have become increasingly popular recently. If you’ve got some leftover American style pancake mix, add a little dry yeast and leave it in the fridge for a couple of days.
"Use it when you next want to try making a fermented bread for a deeper, richer flavour.”
Mini Muffins
Like Yorkshire puddings, pancake batter contains most of the ingredients used in cakes such as flour egg and milk, so it makes sense that they can be used for tasty muffins.
"Creating muffins from the leftovers is simple," Paul added.
"Your cake mix will need to be thicker than your pancake batter, so add a bit of extra flour accordingly. You’ll also need to add sugar to sweeten it and whatever filling you fancy, like chocolate chips, dried fruit, or fresh blueberries."
"Pour your mix into muffin cases and cook at 180°C in the oven for around ten minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they’ve risen, and a knife comes out of a muffin clean.”
Freeze pancake mix for another day
Of course, you can always keep the mix for the next time you want quick tasty pancakes, as the mix is suitable for freezing.
While raw batter can be frozen for a couple of days, cooked pancakes as they will keep for a couple of months if stored in the freezer. Mr Sidwell concluded: “Pancake batter can be kept for two to four days in the fridge, depending on the expiry date of your ingredients.
"Although, you are actually better off cooking and freezing your pancakes, as this will preserve their freshness. To freeze pancakes, wait until they have cooled before putting them in a reusable freezer bag and into the freezer for up to two months.
"When you’re ready to eat, pop them in the oven for 10 minutes and serve with your favourite toppings. Freezing will also speed up the pancake-making process for next time and can be the perfect breakfast for early starts.”
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