FAQs
Making pancake and waffle batter ahead of time is a huge no-no and will lead to flat, dense results every time. Even letting your batter hang out for just a few minutes after you've mixed it before you start ladling it onto the griddle will lead to less fluffy results.
What makes pancakes fluffy and helps them rise? ›
When chemical leaveners, such as baking powder, create bubbles in a cooked pancake, the gluten network traps these bubbles and allows a pancake to rise and stay fluffy yet still keep its shape. Recipe makes about 12 small pancakes, enough for four to six people.
Why are restaurant pancakes so fluffy? ›
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.
What does adding an extra egg to pancakes do? ›
Eggs are a crucial ingredient. They provide the cakes with the structure to hold light bubbles. 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.
Should you let buttermilk pancake batter rest? ›
A – Ideally make your batter and let it rest for about 30 minutes before cooking. This allows the flour to absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter and fluffier. Q – Why buttermilk? The acidity of buttermilk reacts with the raising agents to make you pancakes lighter and fluffier.
Does adding more baking powder make pancakes fluffier? ›
Baking powder (double acting) provides two rises: The first occurs when the baking powder comes into contact with a liquid, the second when it's exposed to heat. Too much baking powder will create a very puffy pancake with a chalky taste, while too little will make it flat and limp.
Why is my pancake batter so airy? ›
Usually, pancake batter has baking soda or baking powder. Those react to water and heat— first reacting when the batter is mixed, then when the batter is cooked. The leavenings react and form carbon dioxide— the bubbles. The bubbles lift the batter, making it thick and fluffy.
Why are American pancakes fluffy? ›
Baking powder
The reaction shows the acid and base reacting to form carbon dioixide bubbles, water, and Na+ ions. These bubbles get trapped in the batter and start to increase the volume. This is essential for making the pancakes light and fluffy in texture.
What makes pancakes more dense? ›
In pancakes, gluten forms strands that give the cake its structure. But too much gluten results in a pancake that is dense and gummy. The dry ingredients are rounded out with just a bit of sugar and malted milk powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
How to make pancakes like Gordon Ramsay? ›
Method
- Whisk the buttermilk, egg and oil together.
- Stir the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. ...
- Melt a small piece of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. ...
- Leave to cook for 1 minute or until it has puffed up slightly and is a light golden-brown underneath.
Flour: This homemade pancake recipe starts with all-purpose flour. Baking powder: Baking powder, a leavener, is the secret to fluffy pancakes.
What chemical reaction makes pancakes fluffy? ›
In order to get a fluffy pancake, we need to have gas (carbon dioxide) bubble up through the gluten just as the mixture is heated. This reaction requires an acid and a base. Almost all pancake recipes use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) for the base.
Why don t my pancakes puff up? ›
If the pancake was a little flat it is most likely that either the oven or the skillet (or other pan) was not hot enough. If the pan isn't hot enough then the liquid does not heat up and create the steam quickly enough and so the flour will cook through and set before the pancake can rise.
