What Is Your Secret to Great Pancakes?

A little vinegar in the milk. Let it set for 5 minutes and it just gives them a pop. I remember thinking gross, but it wasn't.

I use Krusteaz mix, just add water. An electric griddle. My kids actually make them and they're light and fluffy and good.

My favorite pancake recipe ever! :)

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray
Directions

Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

maybe the temp? hubby sets it too high and they don't get cooked int he middle.

Do you wait until the bubbles come to the surface and pop before you flip?

I'll be watching to see if you get any tips i don't know about.

edited we have an electric griddle

Just double checking... There are actual CLUMPS & BUMPS of floating and sinking dry batter that hasnt been mixed in to the wet batter? If not... That's your issue. Similarly, never use an electric mixer, but a fork to stir. (Don'tcha love it when you SAY it's not an over mixing issue and you just get ignored?)

If SO... How long are you letting the batter sit out? It needs to come to room temp (will increase in size all bubbling by about 1/3). In my no aircon kitchen that's about 20 minutes. In air con, turn on you oven and set the batter on top to warm slightly, or in it warm AFTER its been turned off (dantvwant it cooking, do want it 80-90 degrees.

A pinch of sugar helps speed this process.

A dash of lemon juice (not enough to taste) along with the sugar particularly helps box mixes

When all else fails... Add yolks to batter... But beat egg whites STIFF and fold in.

I have the same issue and found a recipe that included corn meal. I now add a little bit of corn meal (doesn't have to be much) to my mix and they come out absolutely beautiful every time.

Yogurt! Thickens them up...my kids like blueberry yogurt!

What she said and only flip once.

Bisquik heart healthy mix according to recipe on box with a few changes. Either less milk or more bisquik until it is a thicker consistency - muffin batter vs Elmer's glue. Also add in some sugar - 1-2 tsp, and whatever spices & flavorings you like (I like vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and a dash of rum flavoring. Heat stove to just a smidge over medium, grease pan and wipe with paper towel. (too much oil may burn) Drop about a tablespoon on hot griddle (I use a medium size disher/ ice cream scoop - smaller than average ice cream scoop- and the griddle is the right temp when water beads splashed on it "dance.") Pancakes are usually pretty thick but done all through and despite their height are usually a light and fluffy cake-like texture. They also freeze pretty well. 30 secs in microwave to thaw.

I second what Mom2Many said. My husband makes homemade pancakes every weekend is constantly perfecting his recipe. He uses a little vinegar in the milk and it really makes them yummy. He also adds a bit of vanilla, but that's more for taste rather than consistency.

I use Krusteaz mix, add water, DO NOT OVERMIX.
But my secret is to let the mix sit on the counter for at least 5-10 minutes after mixing and before I cook it. My hubby uses same mix, same water, but didn't let his sit. The kids and I could tell a difference every time, until I let him in on my secret.

I'm pretty known for my pancakes and make all sorts, all from scratch, but this is by far the easiest and best recipe I've come across. Triple the sugar, and you don't even need syrup! They are light, fluffy, and delicious.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/01/edna-maes-sour-cream-pa...

IHOP. Kidding.

We buy the Bisquick mix. Follow the directions on the pkg for water ratio.

Flip them when the top side bubbles. Voila. That's it.

Try adding chocolate chips for a twist.

A small dap of real butter or good margerine, good syrup.

Use fresh ingredients (mix, buttermilk, etc).
I do use buttermilk for the liquid - the acidity reacts with the mix and the batter bubbles better.

Mix up your batter and use it right away - batter that sits loses it's bubbliness (fizzes out) and results in tough pancakes.
It's easy to reheat pancakes after they are made - microwave works fine.

If using a standard stovetop, set temperature to medium heat. Test the heat by dropping a pinch of water onto the griddle. If the griddle is ready, the water will sizzle and evaporate in a few seconds. If the griddle is too hot, the pancakes will dry out around the edges before you turn them over and the surface will be too dark. If the griddle is too cold, the pancakes may stick to the griddle and will have a pale surface with a wet interior texture and low volume.

We use a small ladle to pour out the batter onto the pan.
It makes 4 Inch pancakes every time, and they are an easy size to handle/flip.

Cook pancakes 1 1/4 minutes on each side or until surface bubbles stop popping and edges begin to dry. Do not flip more than once or pat down pancakes with spatula. This will cause the pancakes to lose volume and become tough.

I make whole wheat ones from scratch and put in an extra tsp of baking powder. and I use fresh ground nutmeg!

The electric griddle. It solved ALL my pancake issues. I had no idea it would make a difference when I bought it. I have used many pancake recipes - and I always use at least 50% whole grain flour and no problems. Most of the recipes I use use either buttermilk (I substitute 1 cup of 2% milk and 1Tbs fresh lemon juice - let sit for 5 minutes) or yogurt or a combination of milk and yogurt. I think the temperature does matter - it matters to the middle how fast the exterior cooks.

i buy the bisquick in the container that u jsut add water to and shake. and this is gna sound gross, most people think it is, but i dont cook them all the way i leave them a ltitle gooey in the middle i like them liek that

Hello,

I have tried different recipes but the best recipe I have found so far is The Pioneer Womans sour cream pancake recipe. Her recipe leaves them super moist and fluffy just like you would have them in a restaurant no joke. I love all her recipes! She is my go to girl!

Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream, 7 tablespoons all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, butter and maple syrup

place butter in skillet and heat. place sour cream, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in bowl. stir together making sure the mixture still.has texture. whisk the eggs separately in bowl with vanilla. then add egg mixture to dough and stir. pour batter onto skillet and cook pancakes for 1 to two minutes per side. stake pancakes high and add your maple syrup!

enjoy!!;) i guarantee this is the most moist and fluffy pancake recipe! My hubby who does not like sour cream loves these pancakes. They really are wonderful! Hope this helps! Happy eating!

Make them with Sprite, instead of water, and drop in a little vanilla and cinnamon.
YUM!

The diner at the end of the road!

Seriously, I can NEVER get them to be as fluffy and "sweet" as the diner pancakes. I probably don't want to know what they do to them, but they really are better than any I make at home!

Krusteaz brand mix is the closest I have found- their waffle mix is awesome too!

I have learned in the past year or so to make pancakes and mine turn out okay.

I use Aunt Jemimah's Buttermilk Complete. I dump some powder in and run some water in the bowl while stirring with a wire whisk.

When it's the right consistency, not too runny and not too thick I put it aside. Alton Brown says this gives the chemicals in the batter to do their thing. The batter has more bubbles in it for sure when I let it sit at least 10 minutes. I don't stir it up after this either. It gets mixed up when I am scooping the batter out and dropping it on the griddle.

My friend gave me an electric griddle that I love. I turn it on and put a small amount if oil on the surface. I use a paper towel to spread it around. Then I heat the griddle up. I can't read the dial anymore, it's worn off, but I don't heat it up all the way, maybe about half way up.

If you sprinkle a few drops of water on the surface and they dance around and evaporate quickly then it's hot enough.

I use a 1/3 or 1/2 cup measuring cup and pour the batter onto the griddle.

When the pancake has bubbles through it and the edges are not shiny anymore they are ready to flip. If you try to turn them any sooner they will not work right.

I use a plastic pancake turner so that my griddle won't get scratched.

I have never in my life been able to make edible pancakes before. These turn out very good.

When I make pancakes, they usually end up overcooked on the outside and gummy in the middle, whether I use the electric griddle or not. So my solution is to either make smaller circles, thinner batter so they're more like crepes, or to just make waffles instead because I like them better. My waffle maker does sticks instead of squares and they turn out perfect every time.
Right now I have Hodgson Mill whole wheat mix for waffles, and Pamela's gluten free pancake mix for crepes.