Pancakes are a breakfast food that can be either divine or terribly disappointing—and it usually depends on how fluffy they are. Much has been written about how to ensure fluffiness, from minimal stirring to stiffly whipping egg whites to using seltzer and more, but recently we came across a tip that stood out among all the others for its simplicity and ease of execution, as well as its rave reviews.
The tip, via Food52, relies on relaxed egg whites, aka unbeaten whites that have been allowed to sit for a bit. The pancake technique calls for the eggs to be separated and for the yolks to be mixed into a buttermilk, milk, and melted butter mixture. After the wet and dry ingredients have been blended, the unbeaten whites are stirred in. The batter is then left to sit for five minutes before cooking to let the whites relax.
Dana Velden, who's been making this recipe for years, tells Kristen Migliore of Food52, "My theory is that the original maker of this recipe was supposed to beat the egg white but either forgot or decided to skip the step. And, to be honest, laziness was the reason I thought I would try it, too. I was more than willing to not beat egg whites at 7 a.m." (We agree with you, Dana.)
Why Separating and Resting Egg Whites Makes Fluffy Pancakes
Egg whites are what is known as a mechanical leavener, not a chemical one, like baking powder or baking soda. It is good to have a combination of the two, since too much chemical leavener can overpower the flavor, and mechanical leavener might not be able to do it solo.
In this particular case, not beating egg whites allows them to maintain more of their structure for longer. It provides the pancake batter with greater support that does not collapse as quickly as if the whites had been beaten to stiff peaks beforehand. You know how the batter can start out fluffy but end up flat by the time you're cooking the last few hotcakes? That is what we would like to avoid.
Food52 cites baking expert Rose Levy Berenbaum: "Adding the white at the end gives more support. This is a technique used in soufflés—adding a little of the white unwhipped at the end so that the soufflé doesn't deflate as quickly. Whipping egg whites to soft or stiff peaks adds more air but also as the egg white cells enlarge, the membrane gets thinner and thinner and is more fragile."
I had to try it, of course. So I made a batch of pancakes and stirred in two egg whites at the end. I cooked three pancakes immediately, without waiting any time at all, and then I cooked the rest to see if there was any difference after letting the egg whites sit for a while.
There was a difference between pancakes cooked immediately and pancakes cooked after five minutes of rest time. The relaxation period seemed to help, as you can see in the photo above.
But an even bigger difference was how the batter maintained its fluffiness throughout the lengthy cooking period. It takes a while to fry up 21 pancakes (three per pan, seven rounds, and approximately five minutes per round, which is 35 plus minutes of cooking alone, not counting transition times). And yet, by the end, the pancakes were coming out just as light and fluffy as the first few. So, that impressed me more than anything, and I am inclined to continue using this technique for that reason alone.
The tip, via Food52, relies on relaxed egg whites, aka unbeaten whites that have been allowed to sit for a bit. The pancake technique calls for the eggs to be separated and for the yolks to be mixed into a buttermilk, milk, and melted butter mixture.
To give your pancakes that fluffy text, beat only the egg whites for 3 minutes on medium speed. They'll start turning creamy, which means it's time to add them to the pancake mixture. Use a wooden spatula to incorporate everything. There you have it!
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.
Adding baking powder is the easiest way to make fluffy pancakes. There's more than one way to make the bubbles that make a pancake fluffy, but the easiest way is by adding a raising agent such as baking powder.
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.
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.
You will need 2 eggs, separated, 2 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 60g vegetable oil, 300g buttermilk, 160g plain flour, and 1 tsp vanilla essence. Whisk the egg whites “*ntil foamy”. MiX all the other ingredients in a second bowl, then fold in the egg whites.
Pancake lovers' biggest complaint when adding water instead of milk is that the flavor seems to change. Pancakes aren't as richly flavored with water. There are a few ways to improve your batter when you've used water, including: Add extra butter.
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.
Pancakes are a good source of riboflavin, calcium, and iron. However, they're relatively low in protein and fibre and high in carbohydrates and sugars. How can I make traditional pancakes healthier? It's fairly easy to make traditional pancakes a bit healthier.
Salt: A pinch of salt will enhance the overall flavor without making your pancakes taste salty. Milk and butter: Milk and butter add moisture and richness to the pancakes. Egg: A whole egg lends even more moisture. Plus, it helps bind the pancake batter together.
Bubbles of gas are caught in the batter as it cooks and this is what makes the pancake fluffy. This also explains why you should make your batter fresh. If it sits uncooked for too long, the gas can escape and you'll end up with flat pancakes.
Before pancakes could be fresh and fluffy from an easy pinch of baking soda, chefs would use snow (which contains ammonia) to create the same effect. In the 1800's, Thomas Jefferson loved his fluffy pancakes so much that he sent his special recipe from the White House to his hometown.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ar-secret-to-fluffy-pancakes-4x3-d3339e48b934447380a62ab06037a7e3.jpg "Here's the (Unexpected!) Secret to Extra-Fluffy Pancakes You Have to Try to Believe (1)")
