The Fine Art of Pancake Making, How to Make Perfect Pancakes.
Pancakes are delicious, versatile and easy... wait, no they're not easy. They can be surprisingly finicky. Even people who know their way around a kitchen find they want to pull their own hair out over a bad batch of pancakes. It seems every country has their own variety of pancake that all look equally delectable. In this hub I'll be covering the North American variety. The pancake you find in most chain restaurants such as Ihop and Denny's. Here are my tips for perfect pancakes every time...
- Make sure your baking powder is still good. Bad baking powder will result in flat, dense pancakes. You can do this by adding 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to 1/2 cup very hot water. The mixture should bubble heavily. If not you need to buy new baking powder.
- Measure carefully. Following the recipe's measurements will ensure you don't end up with a batter that's too thin or thick.
- Don't over mix! Only stir the ingredients enough to combine, the batter should be slightly lumpy. Over-mixing will activate too much gluten and the baking powder and you'll end up with dense pancakes.
- Very lightly grease your pan or griddle. Use a vegetable oil spray or let a little butter melt in the pan and use a paper towel to rub out the excess.
- Make sure your pan is hot enough before starting. If you flick a tiny bit of water into the pan it should make noise and dance around... my favorite part ^_^
- Don't touch or do anything to the pancake until it's time to flip. You know to flip when the edges seem dry and little bubbles are coming up all through the uncooked part of the pancake. I've provided a picture of this below.
- Use a measuring cup to get uniform pancakes. Dump the batter all at once in the same place. It should spread into a perfect circle.
- Serve hot! Nothing beats a fresh from the pan pancake!
- Cracker Barrel-Style Pancake Recipe
Cracker Barrel's pancakes are light and fluffy with crispy edges. You can buy an expensive mix in their gift shop, but why not try making them at home? Learn about a secret ingredient and method that will produce similar pancakes at home.
Basic Pancakes
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients. In a small to medium bowl combine wet ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Batter will be slightly lumpy.
Batter is still a little lumpy = GOOD!
Heat a non-stick pan or skillet to medium. Very lightly grease with cooking spray or butter.
Wait until your pan is fully heated. Pour the batter using a 1/3 cup measuring cup (use a bigger or smaller measuring cup if you want bigger or smaller pancakes). Let cook until the edges are dry and the center is bubbly as shown in the picture below.
Ready to flip!
Carefully slip a spatula under the pancake and quickly flip over. Don't try to readjust after you flip. Let cook 1-2 minutes then serve.
Continue doing this until your batter is gone.
The many wonderful flavors of pancakes!
Make it Fruity,
Stir into the batter 1/2 cup chopped fresh fruit such as apple, peach, nectarine, apricot, mango, papaya, banana, pear or canned pineapple tidbits.
Stir into the batter 1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries, such as blueberry, strawberry, raspberry...
Stir into the batter 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana and reduce milk by 1/4 cup.
Stir into the batter 1 tablespoon zest from a lemon or orange
Make it Wholegrain
Whole wheat pancakes- Substitute the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and use packed brown sugar instead of the granulated sugar.
Bran pancakes- Substitute 1/4 cup of the flour with oat bran, wheat bran or toasted wheat germ.
Cornmeal pancakes- Substitute 1/2 cup of the flour with cornmeal.
Make it Tasty. I'm not saying the above options aren't tasty...
Buttermilk pancakes- Substitute the milk with buttermilk. Reduce the baking powder to 2 teaspoons and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Cinnamon pancakes- Add 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon to the flour mixture. This is especially good when chopped apples are stirred in as well.
Pumpkin pancakes- Increase the flour to 2 cups. Add 1 cup canned pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves.
Chocolate chip pancakes- Stir into the batter 1/2 cup (or more) chocolate chips.
Let's top it off!
Enjoy your pancakes topped with fruit, butter, jam, powdered sugar or various syrups. Just to name a few. Let me know in the comments your favorite pancake toppings ^_^
Some fun syrup recipes to try...
Fruit syrup- In a saucepan cook together 1 cup of fruit, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water or juice. Mash fruit while cooking, Cook until the mixture becomes syrupy.
Coconut syrup- In a saucepan cook together 1 (14oz) can coconut milk with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve chunky or process in a blender before serving. This is especially good served with chocolate chip pancakes or any tropical fruit and banana.
Chocolate syrup- In a saucepan combine 3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Cook over over low heat whisking constantly until it thickens and just starts to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Give me a fork! I'm hungry ^_^
How do you like your pancakes?
Hi, Sasha! I love pancakes! They're my favorite breakfast fare! I even have them for dessert. I like them with just molten butter and maple syrup!
Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness gracious, these look amazing!M! I'm getting so hungry! Trying pumpkin ones come fall!
You are most welcome!
This looks very yumm!! I'd like to try your recipe. I suck big time when it comes to making pancakes...huhuhu, :/
Wow This looks very yummy!!! Thanks for the share!
Some tasty looking pancakes. Liked reading through your recipe and tips on making the perfect pancake. Great pic on the top!
A very easy recipe though making it seems to be a bit more tough Sasha. Glad you gave all those tips that will make a perfect pancake. Awesome and delicious looking pictures.
Voting up, useful and shared.
Mama Kim, YUM!!!!!!
Mama Kim, how did I miss this recipe? Some of your hubs aren't showing up in the profile, but I'm glad I found it and thanks for linking to mine! It's so true...pancakes are finicky and you have to do them just right for perfect results. I love all the variations you mention. Your pancakes are picture perfect! Thanks so much!
This is another one of your beautiful recipes which I'll bookmark. Thank you for sharing. 5 Star and sharing!
I could eat pancakes any time of the day, they are my favorite go to food. Great recipe and tips.
I think pancakes are everyone's favorite breakfast...nicely done. As with everyone who has a favorite part of your hub I would have to say I love your hint about the baking powder. No matter how old we are we can still learn something new!
Voted up, useful, and interesting.
My husband loves pancakes and we always need a recipe to make great ones...this is it. Thanks for a great recipe, Kim, which I am sharing.
I am ready for a batch of blueberry pancakes in the morning! I love pancakes of any kind, but your recipe and hub make it so enticing. Love your tips on how to make perfect pancakes.
This is outstanding Mama Kim. I love pancakes and intend on using this recipe myself. Voted up, interesting, useful, and awesome :)
I love pancakes. thanks for the idea. ever made Mickey Mouse pancakes?
I love pancakes. Thanks for the main recipe and for all the alternatives, which sound delicious. I also appreciate the photo showing when to flip the pancakes - I always have trouble with this part!
I love pancakes and this hub is awesome! Thanks for the tips!
Mama,
This is awesome! Definitely sharing this with my twin brother and our roommate! We love pancakes and we also love perfect pancakes! :)
I have to let you know that this part cracked me up..."If you flick a tiny bit of water into the pan it should make noise and dance around... my favorite part "^_^
We do enjoy doing that to our pans! LOl Thanks for this awesome hub on pancakes Mama!
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