Pancakes are easy and almost foolproof. But
there are some tricks to making them perfect.
We’d like to share those tips:
1. Use a low gluten flour.
We like to use unbleached pastry flour in our
recipes—that’s what our mixes are made with—but
all purpose flour will do. Bread flour makes
for a pancake that it too tough and chewy.
2. Don’t over mix. Mixing develops
the gluten in the batter. Mix the dry ingredients
together to dispense the leavening throughout
the flour. Mix the recipe’s wet ingredients
together in another bowl. Pour the wet ingredients
into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix
until just moistened. There will still be lumps.
That’s okay—they’ll cook out.
3. Get the batter the right consistency.
The batter should be runny enough that it will
spread on the griddle. If it is too runny, the
pancakes will be crepe-like. As you progress
through the batch, the batter will tend to become
thicker as the leavenings work. Add a little
more water or milk as needed but remember to
stir minimally.
4. Prepare the griddle. Very
lightly grease the griddle with a little shortening
or with an aerosol can of vegetable oil.
5. Get the griddle hot enough.
Set the griddle on high or medium-high heat.
When the griddle is hot enough, water droplets
will dance on the surface. After putting batter
on the griddle, turn the heat to medium.
6. Cook uniform-sized pancakes.
Use a 1/3-cup measure for medium-sized pancakes
and a 1/2-cup measure for larger pancakes.
7. Cook it right. You can tell
when it’s time to turn the pancake by watching
the bubbles form and watching the edges of the
pancakes. The bubbles tend to cook into little
craters and the edges will be dry-looking when
the pancake is ready to turn. A little practice
makes perfect.
8. Keep your pancakes hot.
Pancakes are best if steaming hot. As you take
the pancakes off the grill, cover them lightly
with aluminum foil. If it’s going to be more
than a few minutes before they are eaten, stick
the loosely covered plate in an oven heated
to 275 degrees. For a special touch, heat the
empty plates in the oven before serving.
