Ralph & Clairchen from Madison, WI (2017 Week 4: Batter)

Baker

Ralph & Clairchen

Location

Madison, WI

Baking Challenge

Lace Pancakes

Give your batter creation a name – and tell us about your recipe.

"So Many Broken Hearts." I actually went with the BBC recipe. This kind of pancake batter is the only one I knew before I moved to Wisconsin. Nothing fancy here. I added sugar, though and the Wisconsin twist (see below).

Now that you’ve survived The Great British Baking Show’s first-ever batter challenge, what words of wisdom can you share?

Batters should not be over-beaten, but anybody who ever made a pound cake or pancake knows that. For pancakes, always have enough batter to throw the first ones out (or, in my case, eat them right out of the pan). The pans must be evenly heated through, and good, heavy pans need a while. The technical side of baking I really love. But when it comes to questions of design -I am still learning. I was glad that my daughter (9) was there to help me out by making many of the hearts, and also piping a "center piece," which she is holding in her hands.

Tell us about how you added a Wisconsin twist.

For half of the batter, we added "Good LOCAL Foods" Wisconsin Black Currant Syrup, which we got from the Willy Street Co-op. I didn’t expect it to add a lot of flavor, but you can actually taste it.

How did you do?

Pleasantly satisfied.