ToriAvey.com contributor Sharon Biggs Waller just released a terrific historical novel called A Mad, Wicked Folly! Here she shares a historical Edwardian recipe that appears in the book.
“I decided to go into the kitchen and snaffle some of our cook’s pikelets. I loved them, and Mrs. Kipling always made them up for afternoon tea.”
– A Mad, Wicked Folly (Viking) by Sharon Biggs Waller.
I first encountered the pikelet when I lived in England. I was watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s TV show Treats from the Edwardian Country House, which highlighted goods from the Edwardian era. In the show, Hugh was making the pikelet, a type of pancake enjoyed at teatime. As a writer I loved the word, but I also loved the simplicity of this teacake compared to the other complicated Edwardian recipes such as the elaborate ice cream molds, called bombes, and the molded gelatins, called jellies. Right then I knew that my main character in A Mad, Wicked Folly, Victoria Darling, would adore pikelets. I loved them too, and so I included the recipe in my author’s notes at the back of the book.
Some would say the crumpet and pikelet are the same, especially those from the north of England. But traditionally, crumpets are cooked in a ring, which prevents them from spreading out, so they are thicker. Because pikelets spread out and are thinner, they tend to be crispy on the edges.
According to Merriam-Webster, the origin of the word pikelet stems from the Welsh bara pyglyd or pitchy bread, which was a dark, sticky bread. The word spread north into England and was anglicanized to pikelet.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipe calls for fresh yeast (or dried yeast) and cream of tartar, but the self-rising flour in the following recipe simplifies and quickens the process.
Note from Tori: Serve these for breakfast or brunch with a side of homemade scrambled eggs!
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Victoria's Favorite Pikelets
Ingredients
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/2 cup milk, or more if needed
NOTES
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and crack in the egg.
- Stir while pouring in the milk slowly until the batter comes together. Add more milk if you want thinner pikelets. (THK Note: We added an extra 1/4 cup of milk here) Stir in butter.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat, and coat with a small amount of cooking oil or spray. Drop a large spoonful of the batter onto the hot skillet. Flip when bubbles appear.
- Cook until browned on both sides. Serve warm pikelets with butter, honey or jam. Stored in a plastic bag, they will keep for up to three days. Best rewarmed before serving.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Learn more about “A Mad, Wicked Folly” here!
“Pikelet” was on the list for a food-related wordsearch I did last evening. Having married a Pike and not being familiar with the term, I looked it up and found this post. My reaction was, Oh, they’re pancakes. I read the comments thinking people might have suggestions and enjoyed your discussion. I’m American. We have a lot of variations on pancakes and, in general, have a lot of foods from different cultures, often a variation rather than authentic, as people couldn’t get traditional ingredients, experimented, or just wanted an easier version. The photo looks thicker than the pancakes I make for my kids, more like the sourdough pancakes my grandmother made adding baking powder. To me scones are baked treats as opposed to something fried on a griddle/pan, and crepes are thin French pancakes with very little leavening. I’ve had pancakes for Pancake Day dinner (the day before Lent, aka Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras). Americans mostly eat pancakes for breakfast or brunch with butter and syrup (usually maple, or fake variations, though sometimes berry syrups). There are also fancy sweet concoctions with whipped cream and chocolate or fruit. [I also have a recipe for ‘zucchini pancakes’ my family made for dinner, American invention I’m sure.] I like mine with jam; I often also add sour cream (a trick to cut the sweetness I learned from a Norwegian breakfast spread). I’ll have to try these, and also look up the traditional version with yeast as I’ve never made pancakes with yeast. Whatever you call them at whatever time of day, enjoy everyone!