Basic Pancakes Recipe
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Pancakes made from scratch are cheaper, better tasting, and just as easy as the boxed stuff, so treat yourself to homemade flapjacks for breakfast. And if you’re not a morning person, don’t fret: The batter fares just as well when made ahead.
Game plan: The batter can be made the night before and refrigerated for up to 12 hours, but note that this will produce denser, cakier pancakes.
This recipe was featured as part of our breakfast beer tasting.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk
- 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Fresh fruit, butter, and maple syrup, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oven to 200°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack in the oven.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined; set aside.
- Whisk together the milk or buttermilk, 1/2 cup of the oil or butter, and the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until the eggs are foamy and the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and stir until just mixed and moistened (the batter will be lumpy), about 50 strokes. Set the batter aside or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. (If the batter has been refrigerated, stir before using.)
- Heat a large seasoned cast-iron skillet, frying pan, or griddle over medium heat. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple drops of cold water in it: If the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use; if it evaporates instantly, the pan is too hot. Once the pan is ready, use a paper towel to rub it with the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil or butter.
- Ladle the pancake batter into the pan: 1/2 cup for large (6-inch) pancakes or 1/4 cup for smaller (4-inch) pancakes. Cook until bubbles completely cover the top, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pancakes to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately with fresh fruit, butter, and maple syrup.
A little cardamon doesn't hurt.
I just made a batch of pancakes using the Aunt Jemima Original mix and following the recipe but replacing the milk with Kirkland brand Vanilla Soy Milk. No discernable difference in appearance or taste.
These came out so good!!! Light and fluffy, and was real simple and quick to make.
Seems I am on a campaign to alert everyone of the very real dispute between the Vermont (and American, by regulation) Maple industry and Canadians. Up north they "push" the trees to produce sap heavier and earlier by way of injecting formaldahyde (I believe, if my memory serves me-this may have changed at any time, either way). US law forbade this and it was a major irritant (for the US farmers and Canadian trees) for trade relations.
I watch for the Canadian Maple leaf and/or French language and buy anything but-its everywhere and very often cheaper. Formaldhyde has just been noted for being carcinogenic but you knew that anyway-I think.
Joy of Cooking recipe is similar with melted butter instead of the oil. It may have a bit more sugar. Use bourbon when you run out of vanilla.
These pancakes were fantastic! I ran out of vanilla so I used 1 t vanilla and 1 t almond extract. Delicious.
Best. Pancakes. Ever.
When I do pancakes I insist people eat them as I finish them. Putting them in the oven isn't good. They don't taste the same.
One tip, if you have extra batter, go ahead and make the extra pancakes, let them cool, and then store them in the freezer in a zip loc. Pull them out some morning within 2 weeks, cut them in half, and put them in the toaster. Still good and slightly toasted.
Btw, the cinnamon is like the "secret" ingredient in this recipe. If you like cinnamon, you'll love these. And no, it's not too overpowering. However, adjust to your own taste.
Personally, I don't I like this recipe. After much experimentation, I have my own recipe that I made up and swear by. So do my friends.
Mine:
1/2 cup Bob's Old Red Mill 7 grain pancake/waffle mix.
1/2 cup " " " " 100% Buckwheat flour.
1 large pinch fine sea salt.
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon Splenda. Sugar is fine for most of you.
2 tablespoons of either, melted butter, grapeseed, or canola oil.
1 extra large free range egg.
2 teaspoons strong Vietnamese Cassia cinnamon.
1 cup either, plain unsweetened (organic tastes better) kefir or buttermilk. Thin with whole milk if too thick.
And of course, plenty of butter and genuine Vermont "extra fancy" grade A maple syrup to top.
I usually heat a dinner plate in the microwave for 2 minutes and then place in an unheated oven to keep the first batch of pancakes warm. Does the trick!
Hope ya'll try it and let me know what you think.
Shit. These are good!
One thing I hate about pancakes is having to keep them warm until all of them are finished. Would they lose taste/consistency if kept warm in the oven?
All I have is sea salt... I think I'll use some anyway.
Or maybe use another recipe... this one is a bit confusing...
Bisquick
Thanks for all of your comments about the salt in these pancakes. Since kosher salts vary in grain size and brands, we've changed the recipe to read 1 teaspoon fine salt, instead of 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
franjayo, thanks for your question on the measured amounts of oil. we've adjusted the recipe to clarify.
Deborah from CHOW
I agree with Chowhound-- made as directed on a cast-iron skillet, these pancakes come out beautifully with an aroma of vanilla! Served with a Morello cherry compote warmed on the wood stove & a cup of coffee, these made us a perfect winter breakfast.
@ Tit for Tart: I also made them with almond milk and used 4 Tbsp. butter instead of oil to make up for the missing fat. Different, but still fluffy & mouth-watering.
Pancakes might belong to the same category as pizza crusts; everyone has a subtly unique take on what they should taste like & to what level they should rise. If you like pancakes that fit the fluffy-but-not-dense, vanilla-tinted cakes-- here's the recipe for you!
I agree that it's worth making your own pancakes - cheaper for a start. However, I think there is no need to over-complicate the issue.
I have an easy to remember recipe that always works out - 1 cup of flour; 1 cup of milk; 1 egg; 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Whisk these together and leave to chill a bit. I don't add vanilla, or salt, or sugar or oil - but this is the basic formula, and anything else should be added according to taste.
I used an unoiled non-stick pan - the first one never seems to work out, but after that they come flying out of the pan. I put a smear of butter on each one as I stack them, and have my son on hand, ready to put whatever he likes on top and eat 'em.
Aida, I tried your pancakes and they were very nice - fluffy & not too salty (for me). Comment by franjayo on the two oil references is valid and worth clarifying. Thank you!
To Each His Own. I buy Krusty's Pancake Mix and it's far better IMO than all the "homemade" recipes. Friends who make pancakes from scratch now use Krusty's.
Is the oil amount repeated on purpose?
· 1/2 cup vegetable oil
· 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Maybe the second amount is for rubbing the pan, but I am not sure.
would it still be nice and fluffy if you use rice milk or nut milk instead of whole milk?
I've made this recipe five or six times since July and it always yields terrific texture. Thick but never dense.
I prepared these according to the recipe (except for using whole wheat flour, which is all I had on hand when I made these), and they came out absolutely delicious -- thick and fluffy. To those whose pancakes came out really thin or dense: either your baking powder is old, or you didn't give it enough time to work. :( The batter should be kind of thick and bubbly even before you pour it in the pan. My pancakes were almost a half inch thick.
I agree with Denay on this one; this will NOT work with finer grades of salt.
Hey All, We just tested these pancakes again and stand by the measurements as written. Just to reiterate, we use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt which has a much bigger flake than Morton's and cannot be interchanged. The vanilla is evident, but we still did not find 1 T overpowering --and it's optional too. We used a cast iron skillet and each pancake came out fluffy and lacy. Let us know if you have any other concerns and we'll help you out. CHOW FOOD TEAM
I made these, but the 2 teaspoons of kosher salt was way too much (I used a finer grade). Kosher salt is tricky to work with depending on the grade. Normally kosher salt is coarse, but if you use a finer grade in this recipe it will definitely be too much. I would suggest CHOW change the recipe to:
2 teaspoons kosher salt, coarse
Salt comes in all grades and types now and depending on what people have on hand is most important. You cannot substitute regular iodized salt ore even fine grade sea salt in this recipe.
I am a professional recipe developer (30 years, from the Pillsbury Bake Off days) and I can't tell you how many errors I have found on this and other sites similar to it. Posting recipes is easy, posting a reliable, accurate recipe is not!
Denay
I made these this morning. What a waste of time and effort!!! I halved the salt but otherwise made the recipe exactly as described. The batter was really watery (thin) and lumpy. The pancakes came out super thin. I made the rest of them to give to my dog, although I'm not sure he will eat them.
I did half wheat and half unbleached flour and added a smaller banana and these were wonderful. They were pretty light and fluffy. Next time I would add at least another half banana for more flavor.
I had the density problem also - my husband described them as pancake bagels ;- /
I liked the salt and vanilla, though!
no baking soda and/or baking powder? haven't tried these, but sounds like from the comments these aren't light/fluffy...
seems like a lot of oil too, rather use melted butter and use less (and get better flavor).
Can this be adapted to a belgium waffle recipe?
Hi All, to first address the vanilla question. Vanilla is optional. We liked the flavor from a full tablespoon, but if you'd prefer a more background vanilla flavor lower it to 2 or just 1 teaspoon.
As for the salt, we specifically use kosher salt which measures very differently than table or sea salt. For table salt just use 1 teaspoon and I don't recommend sea salt. As for the salt and vanilla amount in general, consider the toppings for pancakes- if a sweet syrup is your choice and unsalted butter, the salt amount is sufficient. If it's just berries or a simple compote, adjust to taste. Lowering either the vanilla or salt will not effect the texture of the pancakes, so adjust to your preference.
I agree, too heavy handed with the salt. I've always whipped the egg white, that make them the ultimate fluffy. For a great variety, try using 1 C AP flour, and 1 C mixed flours (whole wheat, buckwheat, corn flour, rye). This makes a very hardy but not too heavy pancake. If you have any left overs (don't try to store the batter), use them to make sandwiches. My 2 year old loves peanut butter and jelly on daddy-cakes (as we call them).
I just made these this morning and halved the recipe, but found them FAR TOO SALTY! Two teaspoons of salt is way too much for this recipe, halved or not.
Uncle Ira, i agree.
Even a teaspoon seems too much.
dick.
if you want to get a bit more fancy, separate the yolks and white of the eggs. Whip the whites until frothy. Beat the yolks into 1 3/4-2 cups of milk add the oil and white then add the wet stuff to the dry ingredients. Let it sit at least 1/2 hour for the baking powder to work in. You show see some slight bubbling action in the batter. The batter will be a little thinner. but add more flour if needed.
Just made these without the vanilla and topped with a blueberry compote.
cant... breathe....
I halved the recipe... they were good but they weren't what I would describe as fluffy.
I'm not sure, but 1 tablespoon of vanilla seems like a lot for this amount of batter. Should that be a teaspoon?