Perfect Pancakes

By:   Jennifer Anderson

The modern pancake has improved in taste and texture since the early days when our ancestors mashed up grains and water and baked the mixture on hot rocks.

Pancakes were one of the earliest forms of bread, and thousands of years later they are a cornerstone of weekend breakfasts the world over. While it's easy to make pretty good pancakes, you can go a little further and achieve perfect pancakes with just a few simple moves. If you crave pancakes that are light and fluffy on the inside and golden brown on the outside with just the faintest hint of crispness, we can help you flip these flapjacks out of your dreams and onto your plate.

It's All in the Mix

• First, combine dry ingredients thoroughly, breaking up lumps either by sifting them together or by stirring them well with a whisk.
• Next, combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Don't skip this step. Yes, it does dirty an extra bowl, but you must mix all the wet ingredients together before they ever touch the dry ones. Why? Because once you pour the two mixtures together, you're going to:
• Stir gently, just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Over mixing leads to tough pancakes because the gluten in the flour begins to develop as soon as liquid touches it, and the more you mix, the tougher the gluten becomes.
• There will be lumps in the batter. Don't worry about them.
   
  

How to Cook a Pancake

• Preheat your griddle, heavy-bottomed nonstick pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F (185 degrees C), or until a drop of water skitters across the pan.
• Lightly coat the hot pan with vegetable oil, cooking spray or clarified butter (regular butter burns too quickly).
• Do a test run with one sacrificial pancake and adjust the temperature up or down, depending upon the results. If your pancake is scorched on the outside and raw on the inside, turn down the heat. Note: as head chef, you have the right to eat the test subject. Or not.
• When you're satisfied that you've reached the perfect pan temperature, ladle in as many pools of batter as your pan will comfortably hold, leaving a little room between pancakes for comfortable flipping.

Don’t Press Your Pancake

• A pancake is ready to be turned over when it's dry around the edges and bubbles have formed over the top. You are allowed to peek to see if the bottom is golden brown before you flip it.
• While you're waiting impatiently for the second side to cook, resist the impulse to press down the pancake with your spatula. Pressing will not cook it any faster, but will undo all the effort you've made to achieve fluffy, light, perfect pancakes.

Waiting is the Hardest Part

• Pancakes are best eaten fresh from the griddle so you can enjoy their crispy, fluffy goodness. This may mean serving them a few at a time, but that just lets people savor your cooking for that much longer.
• If you absolutely must keep the pancakes waiting, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them, uncovered, in a warm oven. Never stack or cover them--the steam will make them soggy.

Fun with Pancakes

• To add a bit of whimsy to the breakfast table, use a turkey baster to squeeze batter into designs, initials and other fun shapes.
• Pour batter into nonstick pancake molds or oiled metal cookie cutters for extra fancy forms.
• Butter and syrup are classic toppings, but try jam, honey, nut butter, lemon juice, powdered sugar, whipped cream or fresh fruit. Better yet, set up a pancake condiment buffet and let everyone build their own.