Pancakes with maple brown butter apples and sesame praline
Nothing says Autumn like warm, buttery apples and maple syrup. Here, they are used as a topping for fluffy, tender American style pancakes - perfect for a cosy weekend brunch.
The sesame praline butter is totally optional, some plain old salted butter in between your pancake stack would more than do the job. However, we like to go the extra mile sometimes and think that the praline butter takes these pancakes to new heights, trust us on this!
Prep
30 min
Cook
1 hr 30 min
Serving size
4 people
Ingredients
Sesame praline butter (optional):
50g caster sugar
50g golden syrup
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
60g sesame seeds, warmed in the oven (but not toasted!)
¼ tsp flaked sea salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
Maple brown butter apples:
60g butter
4 medium pink lady apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp fine sea salt
⅛ tsp cinnamon
150g maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Pancakes:
385g full fat milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
200g plain flour
50g self raising flour
40g caster sugar
¾ tsp fine sea salt
1 ¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 eggs, plus 1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
70g butter, melted
50/50 mix of melted butter and vegetable oil, for frying
Method
1. Start with the praline butter, if making. Preheat the oven to 160c fan and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Combine the sugar, golden syrup and 25g of the butter in a small saucepan and place on a medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is emulsified. Add the warm sesame seeds and salt and stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking tray and smooth out a little with the back of a spoon (don’t worry about it being too perfect - it will spread as it bakes). Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through, until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (it will set as it cools). Can be stored for about a week in a sealed container at room temperature.
3. Once cool, break the praline into large pieces and place most of it in the small bowl of a food processor, reserving a couple of pieces for serving. Add the vanilla and blitz until it forms a runny paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Be patient, this will take a good 5-7 minutes. This is now
Transfer to a small bowl and add the remaining 75g butter. Mash together with a fork and set aside at cool room temperature until ready to serve (or in the fridge if preparing ahead).
4. For the apples, place a large non-stick saute pan on a medium high heat and add the butter. Once the butter starts to foam, add the apples, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cook until the apples are soft, translucent and starting to caramelise around the edges, stirring every now and again, about 10 minutes.
Add the maple syrup and vinegar - be careful as the mixture may splutter. Let the mixture bubble away and thicken for a minute or so, swirling the pan gently as you do so. Remove from the heat, but keep in the pan.
5. For the pancakes, combine the milk and apple cider vinegar in a large jug and set aside to curdle for 15 minutes. Add the eggs, egg white, vanilla and melted butter and whisk to combine.
6. Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Use a whisk to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until no visible dry bits of flour remain. Do not over mix though - a few lumps here and there are totally fine. Set aside to rest and thicken slightly while you preheat a non-stick frying pan on a medium low heat for 5 minutes or so. The longer the batter sits, the thicker it will be - it can happily sit for half an hour or so.
7. Once your pan is hot, drop three large spoonfuls of batter into the pan, evenly spaced apart, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the batter has risen and you can start to see small bubbles appear on the surface. Carefully flip the pancakes over and cook for another 30-60 seconds until the surface springs back when lightly touched.
Transfer to a wire rack and continue with the remaining batter. The pancakes can be kept warm in a low oven while you cook the rest. Any leftover pancakes will keep for up to three days in the fridge - reheat in a dry pan or toaster. They are also delicious cold, spread with butter and jam!
8. When ready to serve, gently warm up the apples. Stack three pancakes onto a serving plate and dollop a spoonful of the praline butter in between the pancakes. Finish with a final spoonful on the top and pile some of the apples on top, drizzling over a couple of spoonfuls of the maple sauce. Finish with a dollop of creme fraiche and some of the reserved sesame praline sprinkled on top.