Fluffy pancakes from scratch
Tall, tender pancakes from pantry staples, with an easy way to tell exactly when to flip, and the extras freeze for busy mornings.
- 30 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.44 a serving
- 460 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount, and tomorrow’s breakfast is already done.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- ¼ cup butter, divided
- 1¼ cups milk
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup maple syrup, for serving
From your pantry
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Each serving has about 460 calories, 9 g protein, 73 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $1.44 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
3 tablespoons of the butter in a large nonstick over low heat, then pour it into a medium bowl and set the skillet aside.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Low heat
the milk, egg and vanilla into the butter until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Dolly’s tip: Cold milk can firm the butter up into little bits. That’s fine; they melt again in the pan.Pour the milk mixture into the flour and gently with a spatula just until no dry flour shows. Leave the lumps.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: Lumpy batter makes fluffy pancakes. Stirring it smooth makes them tough and flat.Let the batter 5 minutes while you heat the over medium heat.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Rub a little of the remaining butter over the hot and pour in ¼ cup batter per pancake, leaving room between them.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heat
Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles pop on top and stay open and the edges look dry.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: That’s your sign to flip. If the underside browns before the bubbles show, turn the heat down a little.Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until underneath and the middle springs back when you press it.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Keep cooked pancakes warm on a plate under a clean towel and repeat with the rest of the batter, adding butter as needed.
Medium heat
Serve with maple syrup. Freeze extras flat in a bag for up to 2 months and reheat them in the toaster.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop plans your breakfasts along with the week’s dinners, puts what you need on the same grocery list, and walks you through each step.
