How to do Sunday Brunch with Warm Spice Pancakes and Crispy Streaky Bacon

 

Sunday brunches are not fast food. They are long, languid affairs and in my eyes, must be served with plenty black coffee and the Sunday papers (tabloid and broadsheet for balance, natülich). My last day in Berlin reinvigorated my love for the slowed down start to the day, and so the classic combination of bacon and pancakes resurfaced in my repertoire. As Sundays are for getting the menial tasks done, a warming, comforting breakfast will get you ready for the day ahead.

As we speed our way through autumn, I’ve used warming spices cinnamon and ginger, which are reminiscent of the leaves on the trees and a hint of the smell of Christmas to come (which includes a heady mix of cloves, nutmeg and oranges).

Firstly, boil the kettle. Get a mug of coffee or tea on the go, there’s a long day of essay writing/ironing/washing the car to come. (Incidentally, Sundays are always better drinking coffee out of this mug, looking at this view).

Preheat the grill and lay 3 slices of streaky bacon on the grill pan for one serving or 6 for two. Or, if you’re a frying person, go for that instead. It’s Sunday, it’s cool.

Measure out 100g (4oz) of self raising flour. Add 25g (1oz) of caster sugar. Now for the spices. A teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of ginger should do it. Don’t go crazy on the ginger, you just want to hint that it’s come to the pancake party, not that it’s the host. Mix the dry ingredients together.

Crack an egg into the centre of your dry mix. If you have a hand mixer, go for it. Get as much air into your pancakes as possible so they are nice and fluffy. Incidentally, this is my mixer. She is called Poppy and this is NOT weird at all.

Start to mix in the milk. Pour in a little at a time until the mix is loose but not runny. We’re making fat American pancakes, not crepes. Unless you want to make crepes, then add plain flour instead and go French. Ooh la la.

Place a frying pan on the hob over a low to medium heat. Place the bacon under the grill, remembering to check it every few minutes or so. Once the pan is nice and hot, add a knob of butter to the pan. Swirl around until the pan is coated then remove the excess with a bit of kitchen paper. Pour a quarter of the pancake batter into the pan and wait until the top begins to bubble. Flip it over and cook the other side for about another minute. Check to see both sides have cooked and place on a warmed plate ready to be served. Repeat with the rest of the mix.

Once the bacon has cooked and has become nice and crispy, divide the pancakes between two plates (or leave two to have with your afternoon perk-me-up cup of tea if you’re serving one). Place the bacon on top and serve drizzled with golden or maple syrup.

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