Light and Thin Pancakes From Homemade Pancake Mix Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes pancakes light instead of dense? ›

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.

Flat pancakes are easy. Just leave out the baking soda if your making them from scratch. If you're using a boxed mix, beat them until the batter is very smooth and add a little extra milk to thin it to the consistency of heavy cream.

Don't be tempted to add more than the recipe suggests, as too much baking powder will make pancakes taste soapy. Alternatively, you could use self-raising flour, which will add to the amount of raising agent in the recipe and potentially make your pancakes fluffier.

Eggs also give the batter additional, richer flavor from the yolk fat. If you add too many eggs, you'll have “pancakes” that look more like custard or crepes. When you don't add enough eggs, the cakes will be drier and tougher.

Pancakes and waffles typically both contain baking soda, which causes them to rise. As soon as the baking soda is combined with the wet ingredients (which contain an acidic ingredient, like often buttermilk), it starts producing carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause the batter to rise.

A good test is to dip a metal spoon into the mixture and make sure that the batter coats the back of it. If the batter seems too thick, add a bit more milk. If it's too thin, add a bit more flour. Make sure you sieve it in to avoid creating lumps and whisk to ensure the mixture is combined.

To fix runny batter, just use a sifter to add in flour by the teaspoon. While flour will help thicken the batter, adding too much will result in something akin to elastic dough, which does not make for especially great pancakes. There are different rules for the consistency of most recipes.

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.

Imagine combining lemon zest and blueberries to the cottage cheese pancakes. Or add espresso powder to the chocolate chip pancakes to create mocha latte pancakes (topped with whipped cream, of course). Experiment with chia seeds, molasses, raspberries, dried cranberries, or even pineapple.

Crepes or thin pancakes are very popular in the U.K, particularly around February, when it is Shrove Tuesday (Start of Lent). Traditionally, people would make pancakes and then have a race, running along and flipping the pancake at the same time in a pan.

What not to do when making pancakes? ›

Can I Use Water Instead of Milk in Pancakes? Milk adds both flavor and texture to pancake batter, so if you are looking to make pancakes without milk, a simple swap to water doesn't always do the trick. For pancakes made without milk, you'll want to add some flavor through melted butter and vanilla extract.

You could substitute cake flour for your ordinary flour. It has less protein and makes lighter cakes. Try a different recipe that has both baking powder and baking soda for lots of lift. If your batter has been sitting a while, you can perk it up by stirring in a whipped egg white.

Heating Your Hotcakes Adds to the Fluff

In addition to bubbles forming in the mixing stage, your pancakes also become airy when they hit the skillet and begin to cook. That's why cooking your pancakes in the microwave or on a baking sheet likely won't give you the same results.

Dense pancakes, this is different than thick and fluffy, happen because the flour was improperly measured and the batter has too much flour. When the pancake batter is too thick without enough baking powder to help it “lift” you will have dense, thick pancakes as the outcome.

Don't overmix the batter.

Over-mixing the batter means that the raising agent won't aerate properly. Pancake batter should be mixed until just combined. Go against your gut instincts and don't worry about a lumpy batter if you want to avoid stodgy pancakes.