Staying in this weekend? Prepare your family a lavish brunch starting with this breakfast favourite

Nothing puts us in a good mood in the morning more than the sight of freshly-cooked pancakes for breakfast. But you don't have to drive all the way to your favourite brunch spots to savour them when you can easily make them at home. If you're new to this, fret not for our favourite chefs have shared easy and delicious recipes to prepare at home. Jazz up your cooking by pairing it with the usual sides of fried bacon and sunny side up egg. 

See also: 7 Cooking Show Hostesses Who Can Help Guide You Around The Kitchen

1. Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancake)

Hotteok or sweet pancakes are one of the most popular street food snacks in South Korea. Sun Kim, chef-owner of one-Michelin-starred Meta, said that the classic recipe is stuffed with pine nuts. He says: "You can jazz up the hotteok with a variety of nuts such as pistachios, macadamia, almonds and pine nuts. You can also drizzle it with homemade caramel syrup, made with sugar, water and cinnamon, and serve it with vanilla ice cream.”

Serves 2 to 3

INGREDIENTS

250g bread flour
50g rice flour
250ml water
30g sugar
5g salt
30g oil
4g yeast

METHOD

1. In a bowl mix the bread flour, rice flour, sugar and salt together.
2. Add the yeast, oil and water into the mix and knead until everything is mixed together to form the dough.
3. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise for about an hour.
4. Coat hands in oil. Tear a small portion of the dough and form them into round shapes. Flatten them with your hands to form medallions.
5. Optional: Stuff the mini balls with a sweet filling such as dark brown sugar (which turns gooey when the pancake is fried), nuts or cinnamon powder.
6. Oil the pan and fry the pancake. Use a spatula or griddle to flatten it on the pan and flip it over until both sides are golden brown.
7. Once cooked, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve.

Tatler Asia

2. Panettone Pancakes

Lim Yew Aun, chef co-owner of The Cicheti Group, says that this simple recipe was inspired by the panettone waffles they serve at Caffe Cicheti for brunch. “We’ve drawn out some of the key flavours of a panettone, namely the chopped candied peel, to give our buttermilk pancake recipe (also another brunch classic from Caffe Cicheti) an Italian Christmas flavour.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g plain flour
400ml buttermilk
160ml milk
40g sugar
12g baking powder
3 eggs
1tbsp vanilla essence 
A pinch of salt
Chopped candied peel

Method

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in sugar. Whisk buttermilk, milk and eggs in a jug with a fork or whisk. Using a large metal spoon, stir buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients until combined.
2. Heat a medium non-stick frypan over medium to low heat. Lightly oil with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until small bubbles appear on the surface and sprinkle the chopped candied peel. Turn over and cook for 1 minute or until golden and cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm. Repeat with remaining mixture.
3. Serve with maple syrup and berries.

Tatler Asia

3. Keto Pancakes

“This is a super easy pancake recipe, and it’s a great example on how living a keto lifestyle doesn’t need to be difficult or complicated,” affirms Janti Brasali, founder of Seriously Keto. In her recipe, she also shares tips on how to elevate this breakfast staple into something more special.

Serves 2 to 3

INGREDIENTS

70g almond flour
60g sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp erythritol
1⁄8 tsp salt

METHOD

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and mix until everything is well combined.
2. Prepare a hot pan and oil it with ghee or your oil of choice. Ghee is my favourite oil because it doesn’t burn and it gives a very nice fragrance.
3. Use a 1⁄4 cup measuring spoon to scoop the batter onto the hot and oily pan.
4. Flip the pancake once bubbles begin to form (about 2 minutes), then cook the other side for about 1 minute.
5. Serve with powdered erythritol or sugar-free maple syrup.
6. Optional ideas on how to elevate these simple pancakes: Serve them with sliced strawberries and whipped cream (use erythritol for sweetness and remember not to go overboard with the strawberries since they contain a bit of carbs); use dark chocolate chips and add a little bit of rum and erythritol to your whipped cream for a little kick; add bacon and sugar-free maple syrup for the perfect combination of sweet and savoury.

Tatler Asia
Above Image: Matthias Reumann/Unsplash

4. Breakfast Pancake with Gula Melaka Syrup

Mariana Campos D’Almeida, head chef of The Butcher's Wife, has created a unique and healthy pancake recipe that uses four types of flour. This includes coconut flour which isn't only rich in fibre but also "promotes stable blood sugar, good digestion and heart health". To make the breakfast staple more indulgent, the chef pairs it with gula melaka syrup because “who doesn’t love gula melaka?”

Serves 2 to 3

INGREDIENTS

150g coconut flour
100g rice flour
50g tapioca starch
660ml buttermilk
50g corn starch
40g buckwheat flour
130g melted gula Melaka
12 eggs (room temperature)
170g butter (turn into brown butter and cooled)
5 tsp  baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt

METHOD

1. Put the eggs into the Kitchenaid and mix until the size doubles.
2. Add the buttermilk and gula Melaka inside and mix it again.
3. Add all the flour and mix it slowly.
4. Once everything is well incorporated, and with no lumps, pour slowly the room temperature brown butter.
5. Rest the dough for at least 3 hours in the fridge.
6. To cook, heat a bit of ghee or coconut oil in a pan, place your dough, flip it over until the colour of the pancake is golden brown. Serve.

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