Made from an old traditional family recipe, these Easy Scotch Pancakes (AKA Drop Scones, Griddle Scones or Scottish Pancakes) are small but utterly delicious, thick and fluffy pancakes – the perfect tea-time treat topped with lashings of butter and jam.
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A Sunday evening tea-time treat…
Scotch pancakes for Sunday tea, was one of the highlights of my childhood. It wasn’t something we had every week – but as an occasional tea-time treat. I can still remember the ridiculous amount of excitement I felt when my mum or dad announced that we’d be having Scotch Pancakes for tea.
They seemed to take forever to make (they don’t – but I was a hungry and impatient child!), but the result was ALWAYS worth waiting for – small but utterly delicious, thick and fluffy, warm pancakes – topped with lashings of butter and jam!
Why are Scotch Pancakes called ‘Scotch’?
‘Scotch’ is an old-fashioned word for ‘Scottish’, as these are ‘Scottish’ pancakes, as opposed to the Traditional English Pancakes.
Also known as ‘griddle scones’ or ‘drop scones’, Scotch Pancakes are much smaller and thicker than English Pancakes, and are typically served with butter and jam, rather than lemon and sugar.
Made from an old family recipe…
This wonderfully easy recipe for Scotch pancakes is an old family recipe passed down through many generations of my family.
My great-grandmother emigrated to Canada in the early 20th century and married a Scottish-Canadian soldier – she learned this recipe from her Scottish mother-in-law, and subsequently passed it on to my grandma, who passed it on to my mum and then to me.
(My mum also has very happy memories of Scotch Pancakes for Sunday tea when she was a girl!)
How to make Scotch Pancakes
Scotch Pancakes are incredibly easy to make (and much more forgiving than Traditional English Pancakes or French Crêpes!)
All you need to do is whisk together flour, sugar, milk and eggs to make a smooth thick pancake batter. Then, heat a teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Next, pour 1 tablespoon of batter into the frying pan and use the spoon to shape it into a nice circle shape. Repeat another 3 times so you have 4 small pancakes in your frying pan.
When each pancake is cooked nicely on the bottom, use a fish slice or spatula to turn the pancake over. Cook on the second side until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat until you have used up all the pancake batter. This recipe makes approximately 40 small pancakes.
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
What to serve with Scotch Pancakes
Scotch pancakes are traditionally served very simply, with butter and jam – and this is by far my favourite way to serve them.
However, they are also delicious served with honey, yogurt and berries – if you want a slightly healthier twist.
Alternatively, you can drizzle then in maple syrup and serve with bacon, for an American twist. (Scotch Pancakes are actually quite similar to American Pancakes.)
They are also delicious with Nutella… or chocolate fondue! (Yes – that has been tried, and it is very delicious… though, I’ll admit, very much non-traditional!)
When to serve Scotch Pancakes
Traditionally, Scotch Pancakes are usually served for ‘tea’. Which is what people in Scotland and the North of England usually call the evening meal or ‘dinner’, as I would now call it, being a Southerner these days!
In my family, these Scotch Pancakes have always been eaten as a Sunday tea-time treat. This is because the main meal on Sunday was always traditionally eaten at lunchtime. (A classic British roast dinner, of course!)
However, though not traditional, Scotch Pancakes also make a delicious breakfast, brunch or dessert!
Can you serve Scotch Pancakes cold?
Technically you can, but please don’t!
Scotch Pancakes are nowhere near as nice cold.
OK, this is my personal opinion, but one very strongly held…
One of my clearest childhood memories was of one Sunday tea-time, when I excitedly sat down to the table, piled high with delicious Scotch Pancakes… only to discover that the pancakes had been made earlier in the day and were now stone cold – I think I may have cried!
Needless to say, that didn’t happen again.
How to keep Scotch Pancakes warm
So, if Scotch Pancakes are not as nice cold, how do you keep them warm while you make a full batch?
Actually, it’s very easy…
To keep the pancakes warm while you cook the others, place the plate of cooked pancakes in a warm oven, heated to 100C / 80C fan / gas mark ¼ / 210F.
(No need to cover.)
Can you make Scotch Pancakes ahead of time?
While Scotch Pancakes are definitely at their best when freshly made, you can absolutely make them ahead of time, if needed. (Just make sure you reheat them before serving 😉 )
Make the pancakes in the usual way. (But obviously there is no need to keep them warm in the oven.)
Once you have made all the pancakes, allow to cool, then cover the plate of cooked pancakes with foil and place in the fridge until needed.
They’ll keep for a couple of days in the fridge, but are definitely at their best on the day they are made.
How to reheat Scotch Pancakes
To reheat Scotch Pancakes, put the pancakes on an oven-proof plate, covered with foil. Put them into a pre-heated oven, set to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F, for 5-10 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Serve immediately.
Can you freeze Scotch Pancakes?
Scotch pancakes are at their best freshly made, but they do also freeze well.
Make the pancakes in the usual way. (But obviously there is no need to keep them warm in the oven.)
Once you have made all the pancakes, allow to cool, then place in a lidded container – making sure each layer is separated with baking paper or greaseproof paper. Put the container into your freezer, where the pancakes will keep for up to 3 months, if stored correctly.
Defrost before reheating. Reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Scotch Pancakes (AKA Drop Scones)
Ingredients
- 225 g self-raising flour (AKA self-rising flour)
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar (AKA superfine or baker's sugar)
- 2 medium eggs
- 300 ml milk
- Oil for frying
- Butter and jam (or other toppings of your choice - see above for suggestions)
Instructions
- Place the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly.
- Measure out the milk in a measuring jug and add the eggs. Use a balloon whisk or fork to mix the milk and eggs together thoroughly.
- Pour the liquid into the flour slowly, whisking constantly to ensure the flour and liquid are well combined. You should end up with a smooth thick pancake batter.
- Put 1 teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan and place on a medium heat for 1 minute, swirl the oil so it evenly coats the base of the frying pan and put the frying pan back on the heat.
- Pour 1 tablespoon (See Note 1) of pancake batter into the frying pan and use the spoon to shape it into a nice circle shape. Repeat 3 times so you have 4 small pancakes in your frying pan.
- You should allow each pancake to cook for approximately 1 minute on the first side. In reality, by the time you have shaped the fourth pancake, it will probably be time to flip the first one.
- Using a spatula or fish slice* (See Note 2) lift up one edge of the first pancake to see if it is looking nicely cooked / a medium golden brown.
- When the pancake is cooked nicely on the bottom, use the fish slice / spatula to turn the pancake over.
- Cook each pancake for about 30 seconds on the second side – or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Again, you can use a fish slice or spatula to lift up a corner and check it is nicely browned.
- When each pancake is cooked, use the spatula / fish slice to lift it out onto a plate and place the frying pan back over the heat. (See Note 3.)
- Pour in about ½ a teaspoon of oil and swirl. Put the pan back on the heat and immediately repeat the above process to make the second batch of pancakes.
- Continue until you have used up all the pancake batter.
- Serve the pancakes the traditional way with jam and butter… Alternatively you can serve them with honey and/or yogurt and/or berries… or any other toppings of your choice!
Notes
- 1 tablespoon = 15ml (I mention this since lots of things are colloquially called tablespoons – especially in the UK! But the actual measure 'tablespoon’' is 15mls)
- I find a fish slice* to be the perfect tool to use to lift up the corner of each pancake to check if it’s done and also to flip the pancakes. Much easier than a spatula! However, if you don’t have a fish slice, a spatula will work OK.
- To keep the pancakes warm while you cook the others, place the plate of pancakes in a warm oven, heated to 100C / 80C fan / gas mark ¼ / 210F.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Moireen van der Meulen says
In Holland we also have these little pancakes a bit bigger because we call them 3 in the pan.
We make the dough with currants and raisins( sultana’s) and then with powder sugar to decorate.
Eb Gargano says
Ooh – I’ve not come across those before, but they sound wonderful!
Cherie says
Hi. I was just wondering if this recipe could be adjusted using all purpose flour… because I live in a place where self-raising flour isn’t available. Thanks!
Eb Gargano says
Hi Cherie, You can make your own self-raising flour with a ratio of 100g (3½oz) all purpose flour to 1 teaspoon baking powder. As this recipe requires 225g (8oz) self-raising flour, you can sub with 225g (8oz) all purpose flour and 2¼ teaspoons of baking powder. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂