I first had pancakes when I visited IHOP in the United States. Until then I was only familiar with DOSA AND IDLI as it was a traditional breakfast item in South Indian cooking. We prepare dosas and idlis at home almost on a daily basis. Coming back to the pancakes, I initially started preparing them at home using pancake mix from ALDI. But after seeing so many recipes online and trying a couple of them from scratch, I have found this recipe from Allrecipes that never fails, with successful end result every time.
Now I make many varieties of pancakes, but I keep this recipe as the base and add additional flavorings or ingredients. No buttermilk, baking soda, or yogurt is used in this recipe. This post is mainly a guide to all those who are new to cooking pancakes or for those who want to know all the tricks to make fluffy pancakes. Sharing with you all some of the tips and tricks that I have learned over all these years while making pancakes.
To make fluffy pancakes, the first thing is the consistency of the pancake batter. This matters a lot. The batter should not be too thick. A thick batter will result in undercooked pancakes. On the other hand, if the batter is too thin, it will be runny and therefore the pancakes won’t fluff up. So to check if the batter is of the right consistency just lift the batter in a ladle and see if it’s thick but still can be poured easily and smoothly off the ladle.
You will have to cook pancakes with the right amount of heat. I would say medium flame works the best. Grease the non-stick pan or cast iron pan with butter and using a paper towel make sure you wipe off any excess butter. This is a very important step. A greasy pan will not allow you to spread the batter easily and as a result, the batter may stick to the ladle. Don’t be in a hurry while cooking pancakes and cook on high flame or flip early. This will only make the entire process messy. Cook on medium flame, and once the underside becomes golden brown and you see nice bubbles on top, flip and cook on the other side You can drizzle melted butter around the edges while cooking to make rich buttery pancakes.
1 ½ cups All purpose flour 3 teaspoon Baking powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1 tablespoon White sugar 1 ¼ cups Whole milk 1 Egg 4 tablespoon melted Butter
For serving
Syrup Strawberries Blueberries Banana
Chemical leavening agents such as baking powder are the ones that create tiny holes in cooked pancakes. The effervescence due to the addition of baking powder makes the pancakes light and fluffy. Yes. You can make pancakes without baking powder. Use ½ cup of buttermilk and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda in place of 1 teaspoon baking powder. Alternatively, use ½ cup yogurt with ¼ teaspoon baking soda. Or use ½ teaspoon cream of tartar (instead of yogurt or buttermilk) along with ¼ teaspoon baking soda as a substitute for baking powder. Yes, you can substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour. The taste and texture may vary accordingly. The pancakes prepared using whole wheat flour will be denser compared to flour pancakes.
Yes, to make vegan, eggless pancakes simple substitute milk with dairy-free milk, butter with cooking oil or coconut oil, and egg with ¼ cup mashed banana or chia seeds (mix 3 tablespoon hot water with 1 tablespoon chia seeds, once it forms gel-like texture, use it in the recipe) or any egg replacers of your choice. Both non-stick pan and cast iron skillet work well for pancakes. Make sure you heat the pan on medium heat and grease it with oil or butter, and then wipe off excess oil/butter using a clean kitchen towel. Maple syrup is always the best and my first choice for pancakes. But you can use any fruit-flavored syrups or simply drizzle honey.
Place the leftover pancake in a microwave-safe plate and heat it for 15 to 30 seconds or just until heated through. If you want crispy edges for the pancakes, after you heat them place them in the toaster for a minute. You can make the pancakes ahead and freeze them in resealable or Ziploc bags and keep them for up to 3 months.
Yes. Lay flat, seal and freeze the pancake batter. This can be used for up to a month. Just thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. After thawing add milk or water to get the desired consistency. Don’t overmix the batter. Mixing the batter too much will result in the formation of gluten in the batter, leaving no room for air bubbles. This will make your pancakes chewy instead of fluffy.
Recipe card
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