Native pepper and beer pikelets

Name: Native pepper and beer pikelets
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 20 pikelets
Cuisine: Contemporary
Ingredients: 200ml lukewarm milk; 50ml lukewarm beer; 1 tsp sugar; 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast; 75g plain flour; 75g buckwheat flour; 1 tbsp wattleseed, toasted and ground; 2 tsp native pepperberry, ground; 1 tsp sea salt; 1 tbsp melted butter; 1 large egg, separated; 2 tbsp butter for cooking

Jill Dupleix

December 15, 2015

These savoury pikelets go well with gravlax or smoked salmon.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursMakes:20 pikelets

These warm little native pepper pikelets are an Australian nod to the Scots, French, Russians and anyone else who had the good idea of making soft, yeasty pancakes. They pair perfectly with salmon (see my bush gravlax recipe, link below).

Ingredients

200ml lukewarm milk
50ml lukewarm beer
1 tsp sugar
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
75g plain flour
75g buckwheat flour
1 tbsp wattleseed, toasted and ground
2 tsp native pepperberry, ground
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp melted butter
1 large egg, separated
2 tbsp butter for cooking

Method

1. Mix the lukewarm milk, beer, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes until spongy.
2. Whisk in the two flours, wattleseed, native pepperberry, sea salt, butter and egg yolk, without overmixing. Cover with plastic wrap and leave undisturbed for one hour to rise. When risen, beat the egg white to soft peaks and fold into the mixture.
3. Melt a little of the butter in a frying pan and drop in the batter by the dessertspoonful. Cook until little holes appear in the top (about one minute), then turn and cook for a further 30 seconds (longer, if larger). Repeat with remaining butter and batter, and serve while still warm. These can be made a day ahead and quickly reheated in a hot pan.
Serve with: Bush gravlax (a great Australian alternative to traditional roasts at Christmas).