BEST FLUFFY PANCAKE RECIPE - Chefjar (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making fluffy pancakes? ›

The pancake technique calls for the eggs to be separated and for the yolks to be mixed into a buttermilk, milk, and melted butter mixture. After the wet and dry ingredients have been blended, the unbeaten whites are stirred in. The batter is then left to sit for five minutes before cooking to let the whites relax.

Gordon Ramsay's recipe

Whisk the egg whites “*ntil foamy”. MiX all the other ingredients in a second bowl, then fold in the egg whites. Grease a pan with butter and use a medium heat, ladle in the batter to cook until bubbles form (around 5-6 minutes) and then flip and cook for around 2 minutes.

Buttermilk is often used instead of regular milk

Many restaurants use buttermilk instead of dairy or plant-based milk when making pancakes, which changes the interaction of the ingredients before and during cooking — leading to a fluffier, more texturally satisfying, and tastier result.

Milk helps make pancakes fluffier than water. Since milk is thicker than water, it creates a thicker batter. Further, if you use whole milk or low fat milk, the fat content helps yield tender, fluffy results.

Adding baking powder is the easiest way to make fluffy pancakes. There's more than one way to make the bubbles that make a pancake fluffy, but the easiest way is by adding a raising agent such as baking powder.

Using extra virgin olive oil in place of the melted butter in this recipe adds moisture in addition to flavor, resulting in a light and fluffy pancake that's perfectly tender and moist, not dry or doughy in the least.

Baking powder (double acting) provides two rises: The first occurs when the baking powder comes into contact with a liquid, the second when it's exposed to heat. Too much baking powder will create a very puffy pancake with a chalky taste, while too little will make it flat and limp.

The Batter

In an interview with Delish, IHOP's vice president of culinary innovation revealed that the pancake house keeps the wet ingredients “ice cold” in the prepared batter. This eliminates any heat interaction with the glutens that might cause the batter to rise prematurely.

Restaurants use better quality ingredients

However, along with that ease, you may be taking a hit in the overall taste department. Restaurants tend to use real, farm-fresh eggs and real milk when making their pancakes, which as you might guess, adds to a richer, higher-quality eating experience.

While the griddles themselves likely vary from one diner chain to the next, diners are pretty much all working with a waffle iron or griddle that's already piping hot. IHOP, for instance, requires its pans to be heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and uses Crisco instead of butter to grease them, says Grimm.

What ingredient in a basic made from scratch pancake batter makes pancakes fluffy? ›

Air! The combination of homemade buttermilk (milk and vinegar) and two leaveners (baking powder and baking soda) create lots of air bubbles in the pancake batter, resulting in the lightest and fluffiest pancakes imaginable.

Change your plain pancake mix into a flavorful breakfast by adding a few drops of extract to the batter. Go with vanilla extract for a naturally sweet enhancement or lemon for a tangy breakfast treat. For those mornings where you're feeling extra festive, try using peppermint extract for a seasonal flavor.

Some boxed pancake mixes already require you to add in a couple eggs, but if your pancake mix doesn't you absolutely should! Adding eggs to your pancake mix will give the batter a better texture and flavor, more resemblant of homemade pancakes.

Pancake lovers' biggest complaint when adding water instead of milk is that the flavor seems to change. Pancakes aren't as richly flavored with water. There are a few ways to improve your batter when you've used water, including: Add extra butter.