A Dutch pannenkoek is thinner than an American pancake and thicker than a French crêpe, and it fills the whole pan. The Netherlands has pancake houses in almost every town and beside many a dune and polder, and the menu runs from plain with powdered sugar to cheese, ginger or, most loved of all, apple and bacon, with the toppings cooked right into the batter. It is eaten as a main course, rolled or cut into strips, and drenched in stroop, a dark, treacly syrup.

The beach towns around Zandvoort have their share of pancake houses, filled on race weekends with families who have walked in from the dunes. There is something very Dutch about a dish that is both lunch and dessert and sees no reason to choose.

The batter

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) whole milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

Method

1. Whisk the flour and salt in the bowl and make a hollow in the middle. Crack in the eggs and add about a third of the milk. Whisk from the center outward, drawing in flour gradually, until you have a thick, smooth paste. Whisk in the rest of the milk and the melted butter.
2. Cover and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Cooking the pancakes

Ingredients

• 8 oz (225 g) smoked streaky bacon
• 2 firm, tart apples such as Granny Smith or Elstar
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
• stroop
• powdered sugar

Method

1. Put a quarter of the bacon in the cold skillet and set it over medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until it starts to crisp.
2. Spread a quarter of the apple slices among the bacon in a single layer and cook for 1 minute. If the pan looks dry, add a small knob of butter and swirl it around.
3. Stir the batter, then pour about 3/4 cup (180 ml) over the bacon and apples, tilting the pan at once so it runs to the edges in a thin even layer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat.
4. Slide the pancake onto the flat plate, put the upturned skillet over it, and turn the plate and pan over together so the pancake drops back in, uncooked side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
5. Slide the pancake onto the warm baking sheet in the oven. Make the other three the same way.

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