Pikelets

Of all the recipes in Grandma’s box, this one intrigued me the most. Pikelets? What in the heck is that? 

Another thing that caught my attention was that there were two copies of the recipe. One seemed to have been converted to an American measuring system but was still quite vague. Both of them said that this recipe was sent to my grandmother by her mother. 

A recipe from my great-grandmother--now, that was amazing. I was excited to try it out, but not knowing what pikelets were was a problem. The recipe says to add enough flour to make a batter, but I had no idea what kind of batter. Thin? Medium? Thick?

I needed to know more about pikelets before I could begin my test. 

My first resort was to call a friend. Using WhatsApp, I contacted my cousin in England and asked her if she knew what a pikelet was. Of course, she did. She'd had them just the week before. She sent me a blurb from BBC Food that said pikelets are a cross between a crumpet, a drop scone, and a scotch pancake. She also sent this picture of a crumpet on her counter and said that pikelets should look like this only half as thick. 

I asked if she had a recipe so we could compare.  No, she said. She buys hers at the store. 

Q: What time of day does one eat pikelets?

A: Usually at tea time, around 4 pm, or for breakfast. 

Q: What do you put on a pikelet? 

A: Butter, marmite, or jam.

Next, I turned to friend Google. I learned that pikelet batter is crumpet-like, but because they are cooked without crumpet rings, they spread into thinner, irregular shapes. Both crumpets and pikelets develop holes as they cook, creating perfect little pockets for capturing melted butter.  

I also found this cooking video by Paul Hollywood. Like my great-grandmother's, his recipe contained yeast, but it also called for baking soda, which my great-grandmother's recipe didn't have. His differed in other ways too, but my goal was to test my great-grandmother's version, not his, so I resisted the urge.   

How to Make Pikelets

I finally felt like I had enough information to get started on my test. However, one question remained. Grandma’s conversion of the recipe called for a quarter pound of potatoes or about two large. But when I weighed two large potatoes, they measured a pound. What to do? I went with two large.   

I cooked the potatoes, drained them, and pressed them through a sieve.  

I added a quart of room temperature water and the yeast. Two tablespoons seemed like a lot, but I did what I was told to do. 

I then added enough flour to achieve a consistency slightly thicker than pancake batter. 

The recipe says to let the batter sit for 30 minutes then stir it down. I set the timer, and when I came back, the batter had turned into a bubbling cauldron with a maelstrom in the middle. 

 I stirred it down, came back thirty minutes later, and whoa, Nellie! By the time the last 30 minutes were up, it seemed ready to sprout legs and walk out of the room.  

The batter was gloopy and stretchy as I plopped it onto a hot, buttered griddle. I let the pikelets cook on one side until they were golden brown underneath, then flipped them. The cooking time ended up being about 3 minutes per side. 

They looked good, but how would they taste? 

To be honest--not great. Oh, they were edible, especially with toppings, but the middle was gluey. I had guessed wrong--there was way too much potato in that seething mass. 

I had to try again.  

How to Make Pikelets the Right Way

The second time, I did what I should have done the first time and used a quarter pound of potatoes. Again, the batter bubbled and rose, but it didn’t turn into the monster it was the first time.

The finished pikelets were pretty. I served them hot off the griddle with butter and jam. We might have tried some maple syrup, too. (Mr. Hollywood’s suggestion.) The texture was much better this time--not gluey, just moist and tender. I sent the following picture to Wendy, and she said they looked “brilliant.”  

She also said pikelets from the store are toasted and insisted I try them that way too. Here’s a toasted one, topped with melty butter and jam. 

The Verdict

After much research, trial, and error, I think I achieved a pikelet my great-grandmother would have been proud of in appearance and texture. However, the pikelet without toppings seemed a little bland. I refigured the conversion from ounces to teaspoons, and--yep, that would explain it--I hadn't used enough salt. I've corrected the conversion on the recipe card below. With that small amount of added salt, these pikelets would indeed be as brilliant as they looked.   

If you want to try an authentic recipe for a very old English dish, try my great-grandmother’s pikelets.  This recipe is simple enough that kids can help, and they'll have fun watching the batter grow.  

I'd love to hear all about your pikelet-making party.