Drop Scones (Scotch Pancakes)
A favourite on Pancake Day, or on any day of the year. Drop Scones (aka. Scotch Pancakes) are delicious little pancakes that are easy to make and even easier to devour! If there’s one type of baking I feel I’ve mastered, it’s pancakes! I’ve even joked about writing my own recipe book solely of different…
A favourite on Pancake Day, or on any day of the year. Drop Scones (aka. Scotch Pancakes) are delicious little pancakes that are easy to make and even easier to devour!
If there’s one type of baking I feel I’ve mastered, it’s pancakes!
I’ve even joked about writing my own recipe book solely of different pancake recipes. And it all started with these little beauties. Drop Scones, also known as Scotch Pancakes, are something I’ve been baking since my childhood and something that Granny has always been on hand to help perfect. Similar to American Pancakes but way simpler, they make a great treat for breakfast or just for snacking.
We best enjoy Drop Scones for breakfast, straight from the griddle with a little bit of butter on top. They also make great snacks for wee ones, topped with fruit, yoghurt or lashings of jam – our boys can’t get enough of them!
Best of all, you can even freeze them, popping them in the toaster for a minute or so to bring them back to life whenever you fancy one. And if you plan on batch baking some Drop Scones, then Granny’s top tip of adding a little oil to the batter is a clever way of stopping them from drying out and tasting stale.
So whatever your preference this Shrove Tuesday, you won’t go wrong with a plate of Drop Scones!
Ingredients for Scottish Drop Scones:
Self-raising Flour
Using self-raising flour as opposed to Plain Flour will help give your Scotch Pancakes a little extra lift, keeping them nice and light.
Pinch of Salt
This works hand-in-hand with the raising agents in the flour, creating a chemical reaction that helps make bubbles in the pancakes, making them rise.
Caster Sugar
These pancakes are definitely sweeter than they are savoury! Try swapping the sugar for Golden Caster Sugar for a more caramel-y taste.
Free-range Eggs
The traditional binder ingredient for Drop Scones. I don’t tend to stress too much about the size of eggs in a loaf cake, as long as they’re free-range. For vegan alternatives, see below.
Milk
The moisture in your batter! You can use whatever milk you have to hand, but for extra indulgent pancakes, opt for full-fat milk.
Oil
A little trick from Granny: pop a little oil into your batter before cooking, as it’ll stop the pancakes drying out, and they’ll keep better if you don’t finish eating the batch in one sitting.
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Drop Scones (Scotch Pancakes)
EQUIPMENT
- Griddle Pan (or frying pan)
INGREDIENTS
- 220 g Self-raising Flour
- Pinch Salt
- 50 g Caster Sugar
- 2 Free-range Eggs
- 280 ml Milk
- 1 tbsp Sunflower/Vegetable Oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Sift the flour, salt & sugar into a large bowl.
- Whisk the milk & eggs together in a separate bowl with a fork and then gradually add them to the dry ingredients whilst mixing together. Once combined add the oil and mix again until just combined.
- Grease your griddle or frying pan with a little oil. Once hot, spoon a small amount of the batter (around 2 tablespoons) onto the gridle.
- Your pancakes are ready to flip once bubbles have started to pop on top & they appear dry. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes & cook the other side for around a minute or until a golden brown.
- Remove from the heat & enjoy with your topping of choice.
Video
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
Love this recipe. I add some vanilla paste for flavour. Makes enough to have them tossed a few days in a row! Used to make these a lot as a teen, Mum never had any (at work) grandparents and inusd to polish them off! Have rgytedcthat wrong with this recipe, several times over. Ned to try some of the other recipes…
I struggled to find a pancake recipe for many years, but since finding these I have only used this recipe. I must have used it 20 times by now and every time the pancakes are gorgeous and delicious! Thank you!!
I made these scotch pancakes for my new year eve starter. Kids loved them ! Delicious.! Thank you. For your recipe.
Hello. I can only drink goats milk and so I used that instead of cows milk. Whenever I use goats milk, all the pancakes and recipes I try always come out flat like crepes. Does different milk types affect the thickness of the pancake. Thank you and please reply. Lily
Hi Lily. I’ve not tried baking with goats milk personally but I am aware that the composition does differ to that of cows milk. The main factors which could influence a difference in baking recipes is that of the fat and sugar content, which is where a bit of experimenting would come in. If you find that the batter is too thin, perhaps try adding a little less milk, or even a little extra flour and see how you get on.
The first 6 drop scones I made with this recipe were millimetres thick. So stopped and checked recipe against others.. The difference was this one included no Baking Soda. Added 2 tablespoons, gave mixture a quick whisk and tried again. Turned out just fine after that..
Thanks for your feedback, Jacq. This recipe goes along the lines of traditional Drop Scones, only relying on the raising agents already in Self-raising Flour.
By adding Baking Powder you would certainly get the taller, fluffier pancakes but these would then be along the lines of American Pancakes and not the good old fashioned Drop Scones.
I hate the taste of soda in my pancakes
Me too…ruined a perfectly good loaf by using baking soda!
Of course you are already aware that there is nothing ‘traditional’ about self-raising flour – it is simply a convenience food comprised of plain flour with additives which include ‘baking powder’ [which itself is a convenience option being a ready-made mix of bicarbonate of soda & acid – if you are being completely traditional you go back to BoS & cream of tartar as you do when you make traditional scones]. The addition of extra baking powder is simply adding a bit more raising agent to what is already in the mix, which as Amy points out will produce higher, fluffier pancakes. But worry not there is nothing un-traditional about adding baking powder or indeed eschewing self-raising flour altogether and going back to basics & using plain flour, BoS & CoT (although it might take a few batches to get the balance right for inexperienced cooks) in fact the product you end up with would be strictly speaking much more good old fashioned drop scones as great granny used to make. :)
Traditional Scottish dropscones have raising agents. This recipe is not traditional at all for dropscones. It’s a pancake recipe.
And while the two are similar they are not the same. Dropscones are a regional pancake most common to Scotland and the regions of England that border it.
Not having a dig. Just wanted to make you aware that pancakes as this recipe makes are not dropscones.
Well, what is the recipe for Scottish pancakes? (dropped scones in English)
Loved this recipe! Best ever – thank you!
I used golden caster sugar and it sure enhanced the flavour. I
also added 1 TSP bicarbonate of soda
My mum added a tablespoon of golden syrup which she warmed up with some of the milk. Only warm enough to slightly melt the golden syrup which makes it easier to mix in. The tablespoon is based on her recipe which made approximately 3 dozen pancakes.
Hi Jacq. 2 tablespoons of Baking Soda seems a lot when using s/r flour but each to their own taste. I made the recipe as written and the pancakes were delicious. enjoy yours! :)
Yes me too, I always add 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda. My mum always did and she was head cook in a large kitchen during the war years.