Easy, soft and fluffy pancakes, top with a drizzle of maple syrup, butter and your favourite toppings to complete your morning.
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Something a little bit different on my blog! Pancakes!!
Who doesn't love pancakes?! Freshly cooked pancakes with fruit, syrup... nutella... omg... what else could I need in life. That being said, I wanted to share my pancake recipe wth you all. These pancakes are soft and tender, light and fluffy, and the perfect canvas for your favourite toppings.
When it comes to the pancakes, you imagine those soft and fluffy stacks and it's not that hard to recreate! All you need is a little guidance and you'll be flipping pancakes like a master.
Pancakes without buttermilk
When looking through the thousands of pancake recipes on the internet you'll realise that a large majority of them are made with buttermilk.
Buttermilk is the liquid left over from making churned cultured butter. This is perfect for making pancakes because of it's slightly tangy nature. Not only does it add a little extra flavour, it also increases the moistness of your pancakes. But who keeps buttermilk in their fridge ready to make pancakes on a random morning? I definitely don't and I'm sure a lot of you would be the same... Well good news for all of you, making pancakes with regular milk will result in pancakes that are equally as fluffy, moist and delicious!
The reason why buttermilk is used to make pancakes is because of its acidity. Most pancake recipes are made with baking soda, and baking soda needs an acid to react with in order to have a chemical reaction and rise.
We can recreate the same effect buttermilk has on baking soda by mixing milk and vinegar or lemon juice. By adding vinegar/lemon juice it causes the milk to curdle, recreating that slightly thicker acidic nature of buttermilk!
Tips to make pancakes fluffier
You can create the pancakes of your dreams, just keep these tips in mind.
- Make sure you're using active baking soda: A lot of the time it comes down to your ingredients. Making sure your baking soda is active is one of the most important steps to creating perfect pancakes. Simply add some baking soda into vinegar and see if it fizzes, if it does then you are good to go.
- Don't overmix your batter: Mix until your batter is just combined. The more you mix your batter, the more gluten will form. Gluten is what makes your pancakes rubbery and dense, so keep that in mind and mix as little as possible.
- Flip your pancakes gently: Try to flip your pancakes as gently as possible. If you are too rough with it the air that has formed while cooking will deflate, resulting in a flat pancake.
How to flip your pancakes perfectly
One of the most important steps when making pancakes is flipping it. The way you flip your pancake can impact the texture and look so it's important you get it right. Here are a couple of tips that will help make flipping pancakes easier.
- Use a non-stick pan: Using a non-stick pan is a no brainer when it comes to making pancakes, however whether or not your pan is still non-stick will determine whether you have a hard time with your pancakes. Always take care of your pans to ensure as little scratching as possible, and use your best one to make those pancakes.
- Use a frypan with a low edge: When flipping pancakes you want to get underneath the pancake properly with your spatula before attempting to flip. If you are using a deep frypan this can make the process harder as there is an extra edge to get over before sliding your spatula beneath the pancake. I like to use a crepe/pancake pan as there is almost no edge, making it super easy to flip.
- Use a spatula with a thin edge: Some spatulas can have a thick edge, but this isn't idea for making pancakes. The thicker the edge the harder it will be to get underneath the pancakes without ruining an edge.
- Grease your pan: There is no need to slather your pan in butter, but a little butter will help your pancakes from getting stuck!
The process
When flipping your pancakes it's important that you flip it at the right time. You have to give your pancakes enough time to cook up and rise before the flip. You will notice after 1-2 minutes bubbles appearing on the surface of your pancake. Once these bubbles pop and become little cavities it's the perfect time to flip your pancake... carefully!
Changing your pancake flavour
Pancakes are so versatile and there are so many ways you can change up the flavour of your pancakes. Here are a couple of ideas you can try...
- Chocolate: replace 2 tablespoon of flour with cocoa powder
- Red velvet: replace 1 tablespoon of flour with cocoa powder and add a few drops of red food colouring
- Matcha: replace 2 teaspoon of flour with 2 teaspoon of matcha powder
- Lemon/orange: Add the zest of an orange or lemon to your batter
There are so many different ways to customise your pancakes, so create the pancake YOU want for breakfast.
Frequently asked pancake questions
Can I freeze my pancakes?
Yes you can freeze your pancakes. Pancakes will always taste best when freshly made, however if you have made too many or just want to have some in case of a pancake emergency place a sheet of baking paper in-between each of the pancakes and wrap it up in cling wrap. These will keep for 1-2 months.
How to reheat pancakes?
If you've got extra pancakes from the day before the easiest way to reheat them is in the microwave. Simply heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
If you are reheating from frozen do the same, but defrost before hand.
Why are my pancakes flat?
There are a lot of factors that can cause pancakes to turn out flat. The first would be old baking soda. Make sure your baking soda is active by testing it in a little in vinegar. If it bubbles then it is ready to be used.
Another reason why your pancakes turn out flat is due to over-mixing. Try to mix your batter until it is just combined, otherwise they can turn out rubbery and flat.
Can I make my batter in advance?
Yes you can make pancake batter in advance, but I would recommend leaving out the baking soda until just before frying. Baking soda reacts with the batter and incorporates air as soon as it is added. If you make the batter in advance the built up air would have escaped by the time you cook them and your resulting pancakes won't be as fluffy as they could be!
Let's Get Cooking
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.
Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
Print📖 Recipe
Easy Fluffy Pancakes
Easy, soft and fluffy pancakes, top with a drizzle of maple syrup, butter and your favourite toppings to complete your morning.
Ingredients
- 180g Milk (¾ cup)
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice/ white vinegar
- 125 g Plain flour (1 cup)
- 40g White sugar (3 tbsp)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- 15g Butter, melted (2 tbsp)
- 1 Egg
- Butter for frying
Instructions
- Combine milk and lemon juice/white vinegar in medium sized bowl, set aside to curdle for 5 minutes
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda, whisk to combine
- Add the melted butter and egg to the milk and whisk to combine
- Add the milk mixture to the flour and mix until just combined
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat
- Melt a knob butter, and spread across the pan
- Pour a ¼ cup of batter onto the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface
- Using a spatula flip the pancake and cook for a further 30 seconds
- Repeat with the remaining batter (cook no more than 3 pancakes at a time)
- Serve with maple syrup, butter and toppings of your choice!
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Lily
Tried this! Was very good! Very fluffy. My batter was kinda lumpy so I was worried but I think that’s what makes them fluffy? Overall enjoyed ‘em. Thanks for the recipe!