Recipe: American Pancakes

Updated 6^th August 2026 | Words by Matt Jones & Harrison Ward (Fell Foodie)

The American pancake has a longer history than its diner-counter ubiquity might suggest. Thick, leavened griddle cakes – made with flour, egg, milk and a raising agent – appear in cookbooks on both sides of the Atlantic from the eighteenth century onwards, but it was in the United States that they became embedded in the culture of the morning meal, served in tall stacks with butter and maple syrup, at truck stops, hunting camps, and breakfast tables from Maine to Montana. The campfire version is entirely in keeping with that tradition: this is honest, uncomplicated food that rewards a decent fire and a well-seasoned pan.

This recipe comes from Harrison Ward – better known as Fell Foodie – whose approach to outdoor cooking is built on the conviction that good food and wild places belong together. The method is straightforward by design: six ingredients, one pan, and a batter that comes together in minutes. The key, as with any pancake, is heat management – a pan that’s too cool produces pale, dense results; too hot and the outside colours before the inside sets. Medium heat, a little patience, and the confidence to leave the batter alone until the bubbles tell you it’s ready.

Bacon and maple syrup is the obvious serving suggestion, and there’s a reason it’s become a classic – the salt, smoke and sweetness work together in a way that’s difficult to improve on. But the batter is a versatile base: fresh berries and nuts such as pecans drizzled with a little honey work equally well, as does a straightforward knob of butter if you’re keeping it simple. Whatever you’re cooking over – Trangia, gas stove, or the embers of last night’s fire – this is as good a reason as any to be outside before the rest of the campsite wakes up.