Having pancakes for breakfast has got to be one of the many things I look forward to when I wake up in the morning. Unfortunately, I only really get to have them on Sundays because that’s the only day that I have the time to make them because it’s my unwind and relax day. That and it’s one of the only mornings that everyone at home has breakfast and I get to make fluffy pancakes to improve my pancake making skills.
I say “improve” because I’ve always been horrible at making them! I rarely get them round enough and on the rare occasion that I get them perfect enough, somehow, I manage to over or under cook them! So I guess it’s true when they say that sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to perfect! And that’s why I decided to share such a basic recipe with you all today!
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve never been the best fluffy pancake maker in the world but at the same time, I would like to believe that practice makes perfect or at least that’s what I tell mother deer when she looks at me disapprovingly whenever I end up making too many pancakes at once 😉 Anyways, after my many MANY MANY attempts at making pancakes, I would like to think that I have learned a few tips or tricks along the line so here are my top 8 tips to making the most delicious fluffy pancakes ever
1. Don’t make the batter the night before. Leavening agents start losing their ability to make things rise the moment you combine it with your other ingredients so making your batter in the morning before you make them is best
2. Use buttermilk or make your own. Buttermilk is a lot thicker than regular milk and will help the air bubbles in the batter trap better when you’re cooking them therefore leaving you with extra tall pancakes
3. Don’t over mix the batter. Make sure you only stir/fold the flour into the batter until it’s just combined. This prevents you from overmixing the gluten in the flour which can leave you with dense pancakes. Lumps in the batter are welcomed and okay
4. Pour your pancake batter in a round biscuit cutter or fun looking cookie cutter. Place greased cookie/biscuit cutters on your frying pan and ladle your batter into each of them to get the perfect round pancake or a fun shaped one if you’re in the mood for something different or if you’re making it for kids
5. Don’t press your pancake down with your spatula when you’re cooking it. I know it’s super tempting to press them because you think they’ll cook faster that way but don’t do it! Not only do they not cook faster but you’ll end up with flat dense pancakes and I doubt that’s what you’re looking for.
6. Keep your cooked pancakes unstacked and uncovered in a warm oven while you’re finishing off the rest of them. This helps your pancakes stay nice and warm without getting soggy.
7. Don’t over heat your pan. Start by heating it on medium-high heat but don’t be afraid to reduce it to medium-low if it gets too hot! Having the heat too hot means that the outside of your pancakes are going to brown quickly but it might meant that the inside of it is still undercooked leaving you with doughy raw pancake middles.
8. Go easy on the oil. Don’t over grease your pan because it’ll leave you with unevenly cooked pancakes. Since the oil is super hot, your pancakes might end up being too crispy/burnt or absorb a lot of the oil leaving you with oily, overcooked pancakes
Ingredients (makes 6):
3/4 cup milk of choice
1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg (or 1 tablespoon ground flax/chia + 3 tablespoons water)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour of choice
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
optional: any extra fun add-ins like chocolate chips, dried/fresh.frozen fruit, cinnamon, seeds, nuts, etc
Let’s get cooking!
- Combine your milk of choice with the vinegar and let it sit aside for 10 minutes to curdle up
- When your milk is ready, pour it into a large bowl and add in the egg, and vanilla
- Sift in the baking soda, baking powder and flour. Gently FOLD everything together with a rubber spatula until it’s just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX! Fold in your add-ins.
- Heat up your frying pan on medium-high heat and lightly grease it if necessary. Scoop enough batter to form your pancake and let it cook until the sides are dry and bubbles form and pop. Then flip it and cook it until it’s golden brown on the other side
- Pile your pancakes up high into a giant stack and indulge!
Wow, you’ve made fluffy pancakes without using any eggs! Great job!!
Great & excellent tips, my friend! Appetizing thick fluffy pancakes! Yum yum yumm!