How Scotch Pancakes Differ From American Stacks - Tasting Table (2024)

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How Scotch Pancakes Differ From American Stacks - Tasting Table (4)

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ByKatherine Beck/

Humans likely have been enjoying pancakes for as long as they have harnessed the power of fire. However, those early pancakes made ofground einkorn wheateaten by people living during the Stone Age were hardly the fluffy, golden creations we enjoy today. Today, pancakes in their different forms are enjoyed around the world, from the flour-based disks served with maple syrup in the United States to berries on top of Japanese soufflé pancakes that use baking powder and cream of tartar to achieve some of the lightest, highest-rising pancakes found around the world.Conversely, the French have found delight in flat, thin crepes that can be sweet or savory. While not often associated with Scandinavia, Finland also has its own version of the pancake, which is made from a custardy batter that is baked in the oven and served with powdered sugar, cream, fruits, or jam.

No matter the country of origin, pancakes are frequently adapted to a person's tastes, especially the toppings. The American version of pancakes has become a playground for creative cooks who want to turn this breakfast staple into a marvel of stacked deliciousness with toppings ranging from chocolate syrup to bacon. Not to be outdone, the United Kingdom has its own version of the flat cake, called Scotch pancakes. While similar to the American pancake, the two have some subtle differences.

Scotch pancakes served simply

How Scotch Pancakes Differ From American Stacks - Tasting Table (5)

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Alsocalled Drop Scones, Scotch pancakes are enjoyed for breakfast and as a snack in the United Kingdom. The main difference between Scotch and American pancakes is that the Scotch version is simpler. Ingredients include self-rising flour, salt, caster sugar, and eggs. Caster sugar provides a more caramelized taste. In contrast, the recipe for Scotch pancakes from BBC Good Food calls for plain flour, as well as ground cinnamon, baking powder, and milk.Yet another slightly different version comes from Chef Nigella Lawson, who recalls eating them as an after-school snack growing up, who uses white wine vinegar and baking soda to give her Scotch pancakes a lightness and fluffiness.

One of the key differences between the two versions of pancakes is how they are eaten. Lawson says they are enjoyed more like toast with butter and jam versus butter and maple syrup like American pancakes. However, others use butter or fruit and yogurt or some jam. Like American pancakes, Scotch pancakes are often eaten stacked on one another.

Pancakes: a breakfast staple

How Scotch Pancakes Differ From American Stacks - Tasting Table (6)

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While American pancakes may often be made from a boxed mix, making them from scratch is a relatively easy process. A recipe for easy pancakes includes flour, baking powder, sea salt, milk, egg, and oil. Most frequently topped with butter and maple syrup, it's not uncommon to see pancakes with a variety of sweet and savory toppings. What is uncommon is to see American pancakes served at meals other than breakfast, brunch, or breakfast-for-dinner nights.

Pancakeshave a long history in the United States. Betty Crocker has been publishing the same recipe for pancakes in its cookbooks since 1950. However, there is one particular American pancake recipe with a different ingredient from its more mainstream counterparts: Cornmeal. This recipe may closely resemble the pancakes that the early American Colonialists ate, made of cornmeal or buckwheat and called johnnycakes. Even President Thomas Jefferson was a fan, but the version he ate would have been heftier and fluffier thanks to a leavening agent and called griddlecakes. To this day, pancakes go by many names, such as flapjacks or slapjacks.

Both Scotch pancakes and American flapjacks are cooked the same way with some hot oil or melted butter on a griddle or pan. The pancakes, whether in the United Kingdom or the United States, should be flipped and cooked on both sides until golden brown. All that is left to do is enjoy them with your favorite toppings, whether simple, sweet, or savory.

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How Scotch Pancakes Differ From American Stacks - Tasting Table (2024)

FAQs

How Scotch Pancakes Differ From American Stacks - Tasting Table? ›

One of the key differences between the two versions of pancakes is how they are eaten. Lawson says they are enjoyed more like toast with butter and jam versus butter and maple syrup like American pancakes. However, others use butter or fruit and yogurt or some jam.

What is the difference between American and British pancakes? ›

The main difference is that American pancakes are thick and fluffy, and they usually have baking powder as part of their ingredients. British pancakes are thin and larger, and they're usually rolled up or folded into triangles.

What is the difference between American pancakes and Russian pancakes? ›

Russian Pancakes Are Served Beyond Breakfast

American pancakes' thicker texture also enables adding filling to the interior. Likewise, while substantially thinner, Russia's crepe-like blini are also easily melded with an array of sweet components. Jams and berries are also frequent toppings.

What is the difference between French and American pancakes? ›

American pancakes are thicker and fluffier because of baking soda and/or baking powder. European pancakes are thinner made from a runnier mix. Crepes are even thinner and can have sugar in them.

Why are they called scotch pancakes? ›

Scotch pancakes or Scottish pancakes are also known as girdle scones, drop scones or drop pancakes. Created long ago in Scotland (Scotch is a slang term for Scottish) these are thick, fluffy and golden brown pancakes that are similar to the larger American-Style pancakes.

What's the difference between American and Scottish pancakes? ›

Also called Drop Scones, Scotch pancakes are enjoyed for breakfast and as a snack in the United Kingdom. The main difference between Scotch and American pancakes is that the Scotch version is simpler. Ingredients include self-rising flour, salt, caster sugar, and eggs. Caster sugar provides a more caramelized taste.

What is a Dutch vs American pancake? ›

What's the difference between a Dutch pancake and an American pancake? A Dutch pancake is usually larger and much thinner than the thick and fluffy American pancakes. If you order a Dutch pancake at PANCAKES Amsterdam, you will get a delicious thin pancake with a diameter of 32 centimeters.

Why are restaurant pancakes so fluffy? ›

The secret to fluffy restaurant style pancakes? Buttermilk! The acid in the buttermilk reacts to the leavening agents in the pancake batter, creating air bubbles that make the pancakes tall and fluffy. It's a simple switch that makes all the difference.

What's the difference between German and American pancakes? ›

German pancakes use a whole lot more eggs and no added leavening agent. German Pancakes are also baked in the oven to a golden perfection. Whereas the traditional American pancake uses baking soda or powder to help it fluff up and is cooked on a hot stovetop or grill and is much fluffier when done.

What is the difference between Swedish pancakes and American pancakes? ›

The pancakes are smaller and thinner than their American counterparts, as they call for less flour and more milk; they also don't contain any baking powder. This yields flatter and more tender pancakes, which can be folded or rolled upon serving.

What are pancakes called in North Carolina? ›

Since then, many other sources have generated quizzes you can take that let you put together your own personal dialect map. Some of our favorite word wars include: flapjacks (North Carolina) vs. pancake (everywhere else); dropped eggs (New England) vs. poached eggs (everywhere else); a cabinet (Rhode Island) vs.

Why are my Scotch pancakes flat? ›

Why are my pancakes flat and not fluffy? A flat pancake is usually the result of the batter being too wet.

Can you toast Scotch pancakes? ›

You can reheat them by popping them in a toaster or under the grill for a few seconds to warm them through. To freeze pancakes, after cooling, stack them between layers of baking paper and place in a freezer bag or wrap in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.

What's the difference between Scotch pancakes and crepes? ›

A crepe is very similar to a pancake, but generally even thinner. A Breton gallette is a buckwheat pancake, generally with a savoury filling. A pancake is, well, a pancake, and a Scotch pancake is much thicker, but generally much smaller.

What is the difference between American and British breakfast? ›

The core components are the same: fried eggs, bacon, pork sausages, toast. The Brits add mushrooms, baked beans and sometimes black pudding (blood sausage). Americans add (or substitute) pancakes or waffles with maple syrup. Mmmmm.

What is the British equivalent of pancakes? ›

Not only are "flapjacks" their own thing in the UK, British cuisine also has a different understanding of what makes a pancake. Though they'll call it a "pancake," the British version is unleavened and closer to what we Yanks might call a crepe than the fluffy, pillowy food we tend to think of.

What do British call pancakes? ›

In the UK, the word pancakes refers to the same thing, but the word flapjacks refers to something entirely different: a baked good made from oats, resembling what elsewhere may be called a granola bar or oat bar. The word flapjack is traced back to the late 1500s.

Are English pancakes just crepes? ›

A pancake and crepe are quite similar, the most obvious visual difference is that a pancake tends to be smaller and thicker whilst a crepe is much wider but also thinner.

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