The Art of Pancakes

The Subtle Art of Perfect Pancakes

Pancakes were one of the earliest forms of bread, and thousands of years later they remain a cornerstone of weekend breakfasts the world over. Lucky for us, the modern pancake has tremendously improved since our early ancestors mashed up grains and water and baked the mixture on hot rocks. Passable pancakes are now exceedingly easy to execute - but perfect pancakes take a little extra love. If your ideal pancake is tall and thick, fluffy and light on the inside while being evenly golden brown on the outside with just the faintest hint of crispness, we can give you the dish on flipping these flapjacks out of your dreams and onto your plate.

First things First
Every step of making pancakes requires just a small amount of extra care that makes the difference between mediocre and marvelous. Beginning with the dry ingredients, mix them together thoroughly, breaking up any and all lumps either by sifting them together several times, or by stirring them well with a wire whisk. Next, combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Don't skip this step - yes, it does dirty an extra bowl, but here's why you must do it: You need to mix all the wet ingredients together thoroughly before they ever touch the dry ones, because once you pour the two mixtures together, you're going to stir tenderly -- just enough to moisten all the dry ingredients. Agitating the mix more than necessary is what leads to tough pancakes: the gluten in the flour begins to develop as soon as liquid touches it, and the more you stir and mix it all together, the stronger and tougher the gluten becomes. There will still be lumps in the batter. Don't worry about them.

Bettering the Batter
To achieve the lightest, fluffiest pancakes possible, there are a few tricks you can try out. Imitate the ethereal texture of soufflés and meringues by borrowing the technique that gives them their cloudlike consistency: beaten egg whites. You can do this with any pancake recipe - simply take the number of eggs called for in the recipe and separate them. Use the yolks as the recipe calls for, but beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Once the batter is mixed, gently fold the beaten whites into it and cook the pancakes immediately. This technique will give you tall, airy pancakes.

Another technique to try: replace some or all of the liquid in your recipe with a carbonated beverage. This could be plain or flavored seltzer water, beer, cider, ginger ale - whatever you like. Don't add the carbonation until just before you're ready to pour the pancakes on the griddle. Adding bubbles to the batter will make the pancakes very light and tender.

The next trick doesn't take any special techniques or ingredients - it just takes patience. Any pancake recipe that uses double-acting baking powder can be allowed to sit in the refrigerator for several minutes, or even overnight, before being cooked. Letting the batter rest accomplishes two things: first, it allows the gluten in the flour to relax so that the pancakes will be tender; and second, the baking powder begins to act, so that the batter begins to get fluffy and full of bubbles. When you are ready to turn that light, airy batter into pancakes, DON'T stir it, or you will deflate all the bubbles and those perfect pancakes you've been waiting for will be flat and dense.

Skillet Sense
A griddle , a heavy-bottomed nonstick pan or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet will all give you great pancake results. Whatever pan you use, you'll want to preheat it before the pancake batter ever touches it. Ideal pancake temperature is a moderate 375 degrees F (185 degrees C) - or, when a few drops of water thrown onto it skitter around for several seconds before evaporating. The next step is to grease the pan ever so lightly. Too much grease will give you spotty browning. Don't use butter for the pan unless it's clarified butter . Ordinary butter will burn, marring the surface of your pancakes with bitter, blackened blobs. Vegetable oil is the ideal candidate for the job. Pour a very small drizzle of it into the heated pan, or simply spritz the pan with cooking spray, and spoon a single pancake's-worth of batter into it. This will be your "guinea pig" pancake. Watch it carefully and adjust the temperature accordingly if it's cooking too fast or too slow. (As the pancake chef, you are entitled to munch on the guinea pig pancake while you cook.) When you're satisfied that you've reached the perfect pan temperature, ladle in as many puddles of batter as the pan will comfortably hold and go to it! If you're looking to add a bit of whimsy to the breakfast table, use a turkey baster to squeeze batter into the pan in fun shapes and designs.

Looking to add a little something extra to the pancakes? Wait until after you've ladled the batter into the pan to sprinkle chocolate chips, granola or bits of fruit onto the raw side of each one. This way, the tidbits are evenly distributed and the pancakes are less likely to stick to the pan and burn.

Don't Flatten your Flapjacks
One other thing: exercise restraint with your spatula! Pancakes should be flipped only once. Wait until each pancake is dry around the edges and covered with air holes on top, and a peek underneath one lifted edge reveals a deep golden or tan color. While you're waiting impatiently for the second side to reach golden perfection, resist the idle impulse to press down on the tops of the pancakes with your spatula. Pressing on them will not make them get done any faster; it will only serve to undo all the steps you've taken to make your pancakes fluffy, deflating light and airy cakes to dense disks of dough.

Time to Eat!
If you absolutely must keep the pancakes waiting once they are done, put them in single layers on baking sheets, uncovered, in a warm oven. Never stack them or cover them unless you like limp, soggy pancakes. By far the best way to eat them, though, is to tear into them the second they come off the griddle, while the outside is still faintly crisp and the cakes are still tall and fluffy. Don't worry if this means that everybody only gets one pancake at a time - it will just allow everyone to enjoy each other's company and spend a little longer savoring your perfect pancakes one precious bite at a time.

This article written by Jennifer Anderson, Managing Editor of Allrecipes