Ingredients

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• 1½ cups (190 g) Petley Grain Gluten-Free Pancake Mix
• 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the griddle

At the table

• · Butter and raspberry jam
• · Honey or golden syrup with verified GF labeling
• · Apple–cinnamon skillet topping (proposed sauce)

Method

1. 1Whisk the pancake mix and sugar together.
2. 2Whisk milk, egg, and melted butter separately; combine with the dry ingredients to make a thick, spoonable batter.
3. 3Heat a heavy griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat, about 350°F (175°C), and wipe with a thin film of butter.
4. 4Drop about 2 tbsp batter per pancake, leaving room to spread. Cook 2–3 minutes until bubbles burst and the edges look set.
5. 5Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more, until golden and the center has no wet batter when checked with a toothpick. Adjust the heat after the first pancake.
6. 6Keep finished pancakes loosely wrapped in a clean tea towel while cooking the rest. Serve warm with butter or jam.

The story

Scottish drop scones are small batter pancakes, not the cut-and-baked scones a visitor might expect from the name. They are also called Scotch pancakes. Their name describes the practical method: a spoonful of thick batter is dropped onto a hot girdle, the Scottish name for a griddle, and turned once the first side has set. That simple equipment places them within a wider tradition of cooking breads and pancakes on a flat heated surface. The resulting rounds are tender and convenient for a tea table, with butter, jam, or syrup supplying the finish. Family recipes differ in their liquid and leavening, so no single formula should stand for every household. Some use bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar rather than self-raising flour. A well-known handwritten drop-scone recipe sent by Queen Elizabeth II to President Dwight Eisenhower after his visit to Balmoral documents one such approach; it is a memorable example rather than an origin story. This gluten-free version lets the leavening already in Petley Grain Pancake Mix do the work that soda and cream of tartar do in older recipes. The goal is a small, soft pancake that holds its shape on the griddle. Resting behavior and milk requirements depend on the mix, so the first pancake is a useful check before the rest are cooked.