Anytime Pancakes

Put down the box mix. You’ve got ever ything you need to make t all, lu y pancakes in minutes.

j B Y L A N L A M k

Everyone loves sitting down to a plate of fluffy, golden, flavorful pancakes, but making them is another matter. Nobody wants to run out for buttermilk or sour cream before the first meal of the day, never mind haul out (and then clean) their stand mixer to whip egg whites. That’s where box mixes come in, but their convenience is hardly worth the results they deliver: rubbery pancakes with a Styrofoam-like flavor that no amount of butter or syrup can hide. Besides, most prefab products still require you to add milk and eggs to the dry mix, so at that point, why not throw together a batter of your own?

So that’s exactly what I set out to do. I limited myself to basic ingredients—no buttermilk or sour cream—and no appliances and spent a few weeks as a short-order cook. Through Thick and Thin

Blandcakes

I started with an approach that was as simple and pantry-friendly as possible. Dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) went in one bowl, wet (eggs, milk, and vegetable oil) in another. Then I stirred together the wet and dry components. I didn’t bother to leave lumps, as almost all pancake recipes instruct, since we found while developing a crêpe recipe that the batter is liquid-y enough that thorough mixing won’t develop too much gluten and make the pancakes tough.

I portioned the batter into an oiled, preheated skillet. When bubbles appeared on the surface of the pancakes, I flipped them and cooked them until golden brown. But they weren’t good. In fact, they weren’t much better than the box-mix kind—thin, splotchy, and, without the tang of buttermilk or sour cream, somewhat bland.

At least the flavors would be easy to fix, I thought as I mixed up another batch with vanilla extract and a dash more salt. I also made a point of beating the eggs with the oil before combining them with the milk and vanilla, which was less messy than whisking all the liquid ingredients together at once. These pancakes tasted more complex, but there was still room for improvement. So for the next round I upped the amount of sugar from 2 tablespoons to three. I also added a little baking soda, which plays a more important role in the flavor of baked goods than you might think: Many pancakes, biscuits, and quick breads rely on its saline tang and are noticeably flattasting without it. A mere ½ teaspoon did the trick here; it also helped the pancakes brown more deeply (baking soda increases the pH of the batter, which speeds browning reactions) and rise higher. But they were by no means tall or fluffy.

One way to increase lift was to add more leavener. I tested increasing amounts of baking powder until I settled on 4 teaspoons— at least double the amount per cup of flour compared with other recipes—but the pancakes were still thin. Next, I thickened the batter by reducing the milk from 2 cups to 1½ cups. This improved the rise—but not enough. I couldn’t further increase the leavener without making the pancakes taste soapy, nor could I further reduce the liquid without producing dry, cottony results. But there was one more variable: the mixing method. A lumpy batter is thicker than a smooth batter since the lumps prevent water from flowing and the mixture from spreading. What if I went back and followed the usual pancake protocol and barely mixed the batter so that lots of lumps remained? I gently stirred together another batch so that there were still lumpy pockets of flour. I also let the batter rest briefly, another common step that allows the unmixed flour pockets to hydrate slightly. The batter now fell from my whisk in clumps rather than streaming down Flip the pancakes when the edges are set and the surface bubbles are just in thin ribbons. And the pancakes thembeginning to break. selves—even when raw in the skillet—were gorgeously tall (see “Leave It Lumpy—but Not for the Reason You Think”). Lesson learned: If I wanted tall, fluffy pancakes, leaving lumps in the batter was key. I also realized that the amount of oil I added to the skillet and even the method I used to flip the pancakes affected their appearance (see “Troubleshooting Pancakes”). Butter Up The pancakes now looked and tasted so good that folks were grabbing them off the griddle and eating them plain out of hand. But for the occasions that they did make it to the table, I wanted to jazz

Look: Lan Flips f or Pancakes them up a bit. Stirring blueberries or chocolate chips A step-by-step video is available directly into the batter didn’t work well because that at CooksIllustrated.com/jun18 required mixing the batter more thoroughly—counterproductive to creating a thick batter. (For tips on

Soda versus Powder A quick baking soda and baking powder refresher: Baking powder reacts and creates carbon dioxide both when it comes into contact with moisture and when it’s heated, making it a more reliable and forgiving leavener than baking soda, which reacts only when it comes into contact with acid. Many pancake recipes, including ours, call for both.

adding mix-ins, see “Pancake Mix-In Strategy” on page 28.) Instead, I mixed up some simple flavored butters while the batter rested. I even figured out a way to make them perfectly soft for spreading: Stir cold butter and flavorings—such as citrus zest, honey, grated ginger, or warm spices—into a smaller portion of melted butter. Voilà: a spreadable topping with no need to wait for butter to soften on the counter.

I was really happy with where things stood, but I wanted to run one more test, pitting my easy recipe against a more complicated one. Good news: Tasters were unable to distinguish these pancakes from a more traditional buttermilk type. That means you can now make and enjoy a great pancake breakfast even before your morning coffee wakes you up.

EASY PANCAKES

MAKES SIXTEEN 4-INCH PANC AKES; SERVES 4 TO 6

The pancakes can be cooked on an electric griddle set to 350 degrees. They can be held in a preheated 200-degree oven on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Serve with salted butter and maple syrup or with one of our flavored butters (recipes follow). For tips on reheating leftover pancakes, see page 31. Our recipe for Pumpkin Spice Butter is available for free for four months at CooksIllustrated.com/jun18.

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose f lour 3 tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1½ cups milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk eggs and ¼ cup oil in second medium bowl until well combined. Whisk milk and vanilla into egg mixture. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir gently until just combined (batter should remain lumpy with few streaks of flour). Let batter sit for 10 minutes before cooking. 2. Heat ½ teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil, leaving thin film on bottom and sides of skillet. Drop 1 tablespoon batter in center of skillet. If pancake is pale golden brown after 1 minute, skillet is ready. If it is too light or too dark, adjust heat accordingly. 3. Using ¼-cup dry measuring cup, portion batter into skillet in 3 places, leaving 2 inches between portions. If necessary, gently spread batter into 4-inch round. Cook until edges are set, first sides are golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until second sides are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve. Repeat with remaining batter, using remaining ½ teaspoon oil as necessary.

Leave It Lumpy—but Not f or the Reason You Think

WHISKED UNTIL TOTALLY SMOOTH LEFT LUMPY

Whisking two batters made with the same ingredients to diferent degrees dramatically impacted their consistencies. With less stirring, the lumpy batter on the right was noticeably thicker because lumps obstructed the low of free water. The lumpy batter was also better able to hold on to the air bubbles formed during cooking, producing taller, more leavened pancakes.

GINGER-MOLASSES BUTTER

MAKES ½ CUP

Do not use blackstrap molasses; its intense flavor will overwhelm the other flavors. Our favorite is Brer Rabbit All Natural Unsulphured Molasses Mild Flavor

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces 2 teaspoons molasses 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger ⅛ teaspoon salt

Microwave 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in molasses, ginger, salt, and remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Let mixture stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. (Butter can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

ORANGE-ALMOND BUTTER

MAKES ½ CUP

Do not use buckwheat honey; its intense flavor will overwhelm the other flavors.

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces 2 teaspoons grated orange zest 2 teaspoons honey ¼ teaspoon almond extract ⅛ teaspoon salt

Microwave 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in orange zest, honey, almond extract, salt, and remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Let mixture stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. (Butter can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Troubleshooting Pancakes

To produce consistently round, golden-brown pancakes, follow these three tips.

Problem: Surface is too pale/too dark Solution: Make tester pancake Method: To determine if the temperature of your skillet is correct, drop 1 tablespoon of batter onto the heated surface. If it is golden brown after 1 minute, you’re ready to cook. If not, adjust the heat as necessary.

Problem: Spotty browning Solution: Wipe away excess oil Method: After adding oil to the skillet, wipe it out until there is just a bare sheen remaining. (Metal transfers heat better than oil, so places where oil pools under the pancake will cook more slowly and be relatively pale.)

Problem: Messy lipping Solution: Flip low and quickly Method: Slide a thin spatula underneath the pancake and lip it in a smooth, quick motion, keeping the spatula close to the cooking surface.