Crempog (Welsh Pancakes)
Thick buttermilk pancakes cooked on a bakestone, buttered and stacked high.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
Crempog (also ffroes) are Welsh pancakes: thicker than a crêpe, lighter than an American pancake, and made with buttermilk. They were cooked on the bakestone (planc) for Shrove Tuesday and birthdays, then buttered one by one and piled into a stack that is cut into wedges like a cake.
Ingredients
- 225gplain flour
- 1tspbicarbonate of soda
- 1pinchsalt
- 40gcaster sugar
- 1large egg
- 300mlbuttermilk
- 50gbutter, melted, plus extra for spreading
Equipment
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- Bakestone, griddle or heavy frying panHow to chooseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Large mixing bowlHow to chooseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Balloon whiskHow to chooseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Method
- 1
Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Whisk the egg with the buttermilk and melted butter, then whisk into the dry ingredients to make a thick, smooth batter. Rest for 10 minutes.
- 2
Heat a lightly buttered bakestone or heavy frying pan over a medium heat. Drop in a ladleful of batter per pancake and cook for 2 minutes, until bubbles break on the surface, then flip and cook for 1–2 minutes more.
Photo: Kari Sullivan from Austin, TX · CC BY 2.0 (cropped) - 3
Butter each pancake as it comes off the heat and stack them on a warm plate. Serve the stack cut into wedges, with more butter or sugar.
Tips
A cast-iron bakestone gives the most even colour: see our guide to griddles and bakestones, which also cook Welsh cakes.
No buttermilk? Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice into 300 ml milk and leave for 10 minutes.
If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pale outside, raw inside | Heat too low, or pancakes too thick | Raise the heat slightly and use a smaller ladleful |
| Tough pancakes | Batter overmixed | Whisk only until smooth; a few small lumps are fine |
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