FLUFFY HOMEMADE PANCAKES

15th July 2020

Soft,fluffy stacks of happiness is a pancake breakfast. I don’t know about you but I haven’t bought a pancake mix box in a long time. Can’t even remember the last time I did. I used to hate waking up early in the morning especially in winter, so, preparing breakfast in the wee hour of the morning is such a nuisance. However, everything changed when you are surrounded by posh cafes that offers not only delectable breakfasts with presentations fit for a Queen but also house specialty roasted coffee beans prepared by a highly skilled barista. How can you ever refuse? And then you realise you are in Melbourne! Yes, Melbournians are crazy over their coffee and cafes. We love the culture here.

However, since I think we’re doing pretty well in the kitchen, ordering a $23.00 plate of pancakes just doesn’t make sense anymore. Cafe food is quite expensive here, so why not make it at home when you can. The probability is you already have all the ingredients in making a great pancake in your pantry, so instead of running to your nearest café, why not take your time and make these ones at home. As I’m writing this down, we are on Stage 3 restrictions due to this pandemic. That means, there are only four reasons to go out, shopping for food and supplies, medical care and caregiving, exercise and recreation, study and work if it can’t be done at home. So that means, we can’t really dine in at a Café now.

We like to make everything from scratch. Not only is it healthy, it also saves you heaps. At least you know what’s inside your food, not all these flavour enhancers and preservatives. The great thing about this recipe is you can mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and store it in an airtight container for later use. We always have it in our pantry and you can add all the other ingredients when you’re ready to make them. This recipe is pretty easy to whip up and as we say homemade is always the best. Happy Cooking!

FLUFFY HOMEMADE PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs-yolks and whites separated
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk
• Optional-vanilla extract, lemon zest

Condiments: butter, maple syrup, honey, powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the wet ingredients. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add egg yolks and sour cream. Gradually add the milk until well combined. Set aside.
3. Whip the egg whites. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peak. You can use a manual whisk if an electric hand mixer is unavailable. We tried using a vintage manual double whisk and it was quite a task! A great arm exercise for sure. 🙂 You’ll know when it’s ready when you turn the bowl upside down and it doesn’t fall out of the container.
4. Fold the egg whites to the batter. Gently fold the egg whites into the earlier batter slowly until well combined, but still a little lumpy. You don’t want to over mix them or they could end up less fluffy and tough. The texture should be relatively thick, but easily pourable.
5. Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Heat for about 5-10 minutes and melt a little butter to grease it. Pour batter onto the pan and let it spread out into a round pancake. We recommend transferring the batter to a tall measuring cup or pitcher to make the pouring easier.
6. Allow to cook. Practice patience and give the pancakes time to cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges are set. Then flip quickly and cook until golden.
7. Ready to serve. Serve pancakes with maple syrup or your choice of toppings.

Yields 10-12 pancakes

***We plated 10 pancakes in the photo. We ate 2 before we even finished cooking. Can’t resist!

TIPS FOR PERFECT HOMEMADE PANCAKES:

• Don’t over mix. Ensure not to over mix the pancake batter so you won’t get a tough, dense pancakes. Fold the egg whites mixture gently. We need to incorporate the air that makes the pancakes fluffy.
• Use a flat cooking surface. Make sure that you cook the pancakes on a flat surface for a nice looking one. You don’t want your pancakes to look wobbly and uneven. A griddle is preferable.
• Make medium size pancakes. Smaller pancakes are cute and lovely for kids. So the cooking time varies, be mindful. Larger pancakes are difficult to flip and takes more time to cook.
• Flipping pancakes. Pancakes are ready to be flipped when you see plenty of bubbles coming through the surface and the edges are set. Flip quickly to get a perfectly round pancake. They don’t really have to be the same size. This is homemade and rustic!
• Pancake mixes. This is a plain pancake recipe. You can always jazz up your pancakes by adding fresh fruit to the batter, chocolate chips or sprinkles. The choices are endless. Pancakes are very versatile. Once, we used matcha powder to make green tea pancakes. We also love to add cheese in the middle before flipping. Our kids love them.
• Pre-mix pancake. You can always make your pancake mix ahead of time. We always do this at home. Just combine all the measured dry ingredients and store it in an airtight container. Preferably a glass one. Remember to write the date when you prepared the mix. When you’re ready, just add the wet ingredients.

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MAKE FLUFFY PANCAKES AT HOME!

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