Fluffy Pancakes (2024)

FAQs

What makes pancakes more fluffy? ›

Adding baking powder is the easiest way to make fluffy pancakes. There's more than one way to make the bubbles that make a pancake fluffy, but the easiest way is by adding a raising agent such as baking powder.

Too much egg, however, will make the pancake dense and custard-like; not enough will make it drier and more biscuit-like. Baking powder and baking soda are the chemical leaveners typically used in pancakes. They are responsible for the bubbles in the batter, and for making the cakes light and fluffy.

The secret to fluffy restaurant style pancakes? Buttermilk! The acid in the buttermilk reacts to the leavening agents in the pancake batter, creating air bubbles that make the pancakes tall and fluffy. It's a simple switch that makes all the difference.

When chemical leaveners, such as baking powder, create bubbles in a cooked pancake, the gluten network traps these bubbles and allows a pancake to rise and stay fluffy yet still keep its shape.

Making pancake and waffle batter ahead of time is a huge no-no and will lead to flat, dense results every time. Even letting your batter hang out for just a few minutes after you've mixed it before you start ladling it onto the griddle will lead to less fluffy results.

Usually, pancake batter has baking soda or baking powder. Those react to water and heat— first reacting when the batter is mixed, then when the batter is cooked. The leavenings react and form carbon dioxide— the bubbles. The bubbles lift the batter, making it thick and fluffy.

Overmixing pancake batter can cause your flapjacks to deflate, for two main reasons. The stirring or whisking motion may cause the batter's air bubbles to pop, and can also cause too much gluten to develop. Air and small amounts of gluten are both essential in developing the ideal pancake texture.

In pancakes, gluten forms strands that give the cake its structure. But too much gluten results in a pancake that is dense and gummy. The dry ingredients are rounded out with just a bit of sugar and malted milk powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

In an interview with Delish, IHOP's vice president of culinary innovation revealed that the pancake house keeps the wet ingredients “ice cold” in the prepared batter. This eliminates any heat interaction with the glutens that might cause the batter to rise prematurely.

Restaurants use better quality ingredients

Restaurants tend to use real, farm-fresh eggs and real milk when making their pancakes, which as you might guess, adds to a richer, higher-quality eating experience.

How Gordon Ramsay makes pancakes? ›

Instead of using a boxed pancake mix, Gordon mixes his own ratio of flour, milk, and eggs with a whisk before letting it sit for about 15 minutes to thicken. Then, using a hot nonstick pan and cooking spray, he'll spoon about a ladle full of the pancake batter mixture onto the center of the pan.

The chemicals in the baking powder react when combined with liquid, which triggers an initial release of gas. This first release happens slowly. A second, bigger burst of gas occurs when the batter is heated. Heat produces a quick burst of bubbles, and that's what really gives pancakes their fluffiness.

Baking soda is essential for baked goods, but baking powder is really what makes pancakes and biscuits rise and become so super fluffy. Double-acting baking powder, which is the kind that you'll find in the grocery store, produces bubbles in two ways: when it is mixed with wet ingredients and then when it gets heated.

Flour: This homemade pancake recipe starts with all-purpose flour. Baking powder: Baking powder, a leavener, is the secret to fluffy pancakes.

Whipping egg whites for pancakes (or waffles) helps to incorporate air into the batter, which creates bubbles. When you cook the pancakes, these bubbles expand due to the heat from the cooking surface, making the pancakes fluffy.