Gingerbread pancakes with ham and maple syrup

Major brownies points are awarded to those who go the extra mile on the Sunday and rustle up this breakfast dish. If you prefer to have the pancakes plain, then just omit the cinnamon, ground ginger, lemon zest, vanilla and sugar.

A stick of pancakes sits on a plate. The stack is topped with crisp bacon and syrup. Credit: Myles New / Lorraine's Fast, Fresh and Easy Food

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 225 g (8 oz) self-raising flour
• 3 tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• pinch of salt
• ½ lemon, optional
• ½ vanilla pod (or a couple of drops of vanilla extract), optional
• 300 ml (11 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
• 1 medium egg
• sunflower oil
• 12 slices parma ham or bacon

To serve

• 100 ml (4 fl oz) maple syrup
• 100 ml (4 fl oz) sour cream or crème fraiche

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 110°C (225°F / Gas Mark ¼). (This will be to keep the pancakes warm as they are cooked in batches).
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a large bowl, give them a quick mix and make a well in the centre. Finely grate the lemon zest in. Split the vanilla pod open, scrape the seeds out and add them too (or vanilla extract if using). Then gradually pour the milk in bit by bit, stirring all the time to give a smooth mixture. Then beat the egg in well and set aside.
3. Put a drizzle of oil into a large frying pan on a medium heat and cook the Parma ham for 2-3 minutes on each side until nice and crisp. Then remove with tongs and drain on kitchen paper. Tip onto a baking tray and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.
4. Leave the pan on the heat, but reduce it to low and add a little bit more oil if need be. Then spoon in four dollops of the pancake mix (to spread to about 10 cm (4 in) wide). Leave to cook for about 1-2 minutes until golden, then flip them over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Slide them onto a baking tray and put in the oven to keep warm. Then, repeat with the remaining mix to give 12.
5. Once you have made all of the pancakes, divide them between four plates. I like to pile the Parma ham high on them and then drizzle with the maple syrup and serve with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.