As a mother I try and instill small little moments into my girls lives that they’ll remember as adults. Simple things like Saturday morning pancakes. Thus, and begrudgingly, every Saturday morning I get up and make pancakes. I had tried so many different recipes, pre-made mixes, different pans etc. Some came out ok but others I was very disappointed in. If I’m gonna get up on a Saturday I want a pancake I can enjoy, ya know?
Until I scraped the recipes and started using some intuition.
And so, the last pancake recipe you’ll ever need was born. Really though, it’s a super simple and adaptable recipe to suit your particular tastes. Add in’s such as berries or chocolates can just be dropped onto the batter after pouring it on the griddle. As can things like melted cinnamon butter for a delicious cinnamon roll pancake!
Forget the recipe, my pancakes don’t cook right!
Well that’s a problem we should fix then. Cooking and mixing techniques are sometimes even more important than the recipe itself so here’s a few tips if your pancakes are always a flop.
- Pancakes are black and/or the insides are raw- your heat is too high. I always thought pancakes were cooked on medium/high heat. Yet at medium/high I will undoubtedly end up burning my pancakes. Try a medium/low heat. You may also need to turn the heat down after the first batch.
- Pancakes are misshapen– your batter may not have the right consistency or your pan may not be level. Also having too thick or thin a batter can result in shaping issues. See #4.
- Pancakes are rubbery or chewy– you want some small lumps in your batter. Overmixing stimulates the gluten. It’s precisely what you want in yeast bread but not fluffy pancakes. Don’t overmix your batter and then let it rest a minimum of 5 minutes before pouring out your pancakes.
- Pancakes are too thick or too thin– batter consistency is incorrect. You’ll have to learn exactly what your preference is. Thicker batter will lead to thicker pancakes and vice versa. However there’s a general happy medium where your pancake batter is neither thin like cream nor thick like pudding. It should be able to suspend a spoon laid flat on top for a considerable time but still be pourable.
- Trouble flipping pancakes– No fat, scratched pan, poor flipping utensil or incorrect size utensil. If you’re using a cast iron pan or griddle you will need to use butter or another choice fat to keep the batter from sticking to the pan. Alternatively you could use a non-stick pan but it must be well taken care of and free from scratches. Your spatula could be too thick to maneuver under the pancake or it may be too small for the size of pancake you are wanting to flip. Besides tools you may not be waiting the appropriate amount of time before flipping. Flipping too early will result in pancakes that do not have enough substance to stay together and flipping too late can result in a burnt and stuck pancake.
The best part about this recipe is that it can be kept as a dry mix like your pre-packaged box mix or even cooked, frozen and then warmed up like your typical frozen waffle or pancake. Directions for keeping this as a shelf stable pre-mix can be found in the notes section of the recipe.
Tell me, what’s your favorite pancakes toppings? And who wants the recipe for the fruity pancake syrup we usually use?
Simple Pancake Recipe
Super Simple Pancake Recipe adaptable to suit your needs and personal tastes
Ingredients
Method
- Mix all dry ingredients in medium sized bowl
- Warm milk and butter together. Can be done on the stove or in the microwave. around 30-45 seconds should do. Blend milk and butter until thoroughly incorporated and only lukewarm.
- Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk together until most of the dry ingredients are moistened. Add egg and whisk until the egg is incorporated and there are no large pockets of flour. Batter may be slightly lumpy, that's perfect. Do not overmix.
- Pre-heat griddle or pan to medium low heat while letting the batter rest. 5-10 minutes.
- Grease pan if necessary (cast iron or the like) Pour ¼ – ⅓ cup of batter per pancake. A test pancake is highly encouraged before pouring an entire batch. Additions such as fresh fruit or chocolate pieces may be added directly on top of poured out batter.
- Flip pancakes when bubbles appear in batter across the entire pancake (not just along the edge) and the bottom appears golden when pancake is slightly lifted. Pancakes should only be flipped once and never pressed with spatula. Less time will be needed on the second side than the first. All together each pancake will take approximately 3-4 minutes to cook.
- Serve immediately with favorite toppings or freeze for later use. Freeze on cookie sheet in a single layer and transfer to airtight container or freezer bag after thoroughly frozen (about 2 hours). To thaw pancakes can be microwaved or warmed in the toaster the same as freezer waffles.
Notes
To use this recipe as a shelf stable pre-mix simply double, triple or quadruple the amount of dry ingredients, mix together thoroughly and store in an airtight container. When you’re ready to cook, use 1 1/2 cups of the mix in place of the dry ingredients and proceed as usual.
Troubleshooting Tips
- Pancakes are black and/or the insides are raw- your heat is too high. I always thought pancakes were cooked on medium/high heat. Yet at medium/high I will undoubtedly end up burning my pancakes. Try a medium/low heat. You may also need to turn the heat down after the first batch.
- Pancakes are misshapen– your batter may not have the right consistency or your pan may not be level. Also having too thick or thin a batter can result in shaping issues. See #4.
- Pancakes are rubbery or chewy– you want some small lumps in your batter. Overmixing stimulates the gluten. It’s precisely what you want in yeast bread but not fluffy pancakes. Don’t overmix your batter and then let it rest a minimum of 5 minutes before pouring out your pancakes.
- Pancakes are too thick or too thin– batter consistency is incorrect. You’ll have to learn exactly what your preference is. Thicker batter will lead to thicker pancakes and vice versa. However there’s a general happy medium where your pancake batter is neither thin like cream nor thick like pudding. It should be able to suspend a spoon laid flat on top for a considerable time but still be pourable.
- Trouble flipping pancakes– No fat, scratched pan, poor flipping utensil or incorrect size utensil. If you’re using a cast iron pan or griddle you will need to use butter or another choice fat to keep the batter from sticking to the pan. Alternatively you could use a non-stick pan but it must be well taken care of and free from scratches. Your spatula could be too thick to maneuver under the pancake or it may be too small for the size of pancake you are wanting to flip. Besides tools you may not be waiting the appropriate amount of time before flipping. Flipping too early will result in pancakes that do not have enough substance to stay together and flipping too late can result in a burnt and stuck pancake.
