Ingredients

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• 1 cup (125 g) Petley Grain Gluten-Free Pancake Mix
• 1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp (42 g) melted butter
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract

At the table

• · Strawberry or raspberry jam
• · Fresh berries and whipped cream
• · After a bowl of pea soup
• · Light-roast Finnish coffee

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. 2Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
3. 3Pour into a well-greased 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish.
4. 4Bake 30 minutes at 400°F (200°C), until the edges are crisp and rise high around the sides and the center is set.
5. 5Cool 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm.

The story

Finnish pannukakku takes pancakes away from the stovetop and into the oven. A fluid batter of milk, eggs, and flour is poured into a baking dish or tray, where it sets into a soft center with browned, sometimes dramatically raised edges. Many versions are cut into squares for serving. The shape is practical: one pan can feed a table without keeping someone at the stove cooking individual rounds. The pancake is familiar in Finnish home cooking and is often associated with a meal of hernekeitto, or pea soup. That pairing also has a strong place in neighboring Sweden, although the pancakes need not be prepared in the same way. Finland has pan-fried pancakes too, often called lettu, so pannukakku should not be used as a blanket name for every Finnish pancake preparation. Jam, berries, and whipped cream make natural companions to its mild, egg-rich flavor. Households vary the sweetness, depth, and degree of browning, and oven temperature and pan size affect the finished texture. It shares the general idea of an oven pancake with dishes elsewhere, including the Dutch baby, but its familiar tray-baked format gives it its own everyday character. The appeal is generous rather than showy: a warm slice, a spoonful of fruit, and enough left in the pan to share.