Originally published on January 31, 2015
The phrase “flat as a pancake” has never made much sense to me. I mean, yes pancakes are supposed to be flat in that they are smooth, lie horizontally, and don’t have major bumps or indentations. But, when it comes to how high that stack stands, it should be as tall as possible. That is after all, the only way to get pancakes that are light and fluffy on the inside, and that stand up tall and proud. Achieving that result has been my mission for the past couple years, I’m ashamed to say. I just haven’t been able to do it. And no matter how many tricks I tried, I haven’t been able to master light, fluffy pancakes. Until now.
Okay, so you want to know the secret? It’s in the bubbles. Undoubtedly you’ve seen that just about every single recipe for pancakes says that once they’re in the pan, let them cook for a few minutes “until bubbles appear.” But, that’s pretty vague, isn’t it? I mean, how many bubbles are you supposed to wait for? Just a couple? All 187 that will eventually appear? And does it matter where those bubbles are on the pancake? In the middle, around the edges? It can drive a person mad trying to figure it all out, and that’s only if you know that bubblesequal fluffy. Otherwise, you’re just flailing spatula in a pancake world. Trust me, I know.
So here’s the thing. After a Sunday morning when I was running a bit further behind on breakfast than usual, I let my pancakes sit in the pan before flipping them longer than I typically would. When I finally got back to the stove, the tops of them were nearly completely covered in circles, and the batter on top was even nearly set. Not cooked mind you, but set to the point where they had stiffened and were almost set. I thought the other side might be burned, but I flipped it over and it was perfect! Not only did I have golden pancakes, but they were actually fluffy, and all my pancake problems were solved! Now I pass this info on to you, so that you can also avoid flat-lining when it comes to your morning cakes.
And when you’re making those fluffy pancakes, make sure you use this recipe. It’s the best, and I’d been on the hunt for it just as long as I’d been waiting for my cakes to rise.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted and fully cooled (it has to be completely cooled, or you’ll get crystals in your batter)
1 1/3 cups milk
Butter, for frying
Directions:
1.) Put all the ingredients, except for the frying butter, in a blender and blend until smooth. Let the batter sit for 20 minutes.
2.) Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat (but with the burner set closer to medium than to high.) When the butter starts to sizzle, pour small circles into the pan. Let them cook for a few minutes, until LOTS of bubbles have formed on the top, and the top is nearly set.
3.) Flip the pancakes and let them cook through on the other side for 2 – 4 minutes. Move to a platter and repeat steps 2 and 3 for the remaining batter.
4.) Serve and enjoy!