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Breakfast · American · Episode on YouTube

Fluffy Pancakes

Tall, soft stacks. Otto got a few steps wrong so you don't have to.

Hands-on
30 min
Hands-off
15 min
Total
45 min
Makes
12 pancakes
Serves
4

Total = 30 min active (10 min mixing, about 20 min at the stove) + 15 min batter rest, while the pan heats.

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • kid-friendly

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Fluffy Pancakes
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: kitchen scale · measuring spoons · 2 mixing bowls · whisk · hand mixer · non-stick or heavy pan · wide spatula · 60 ml (¼ cup) measure

Contains: egg · milk · wheat (gluten)

Method

  1. Wash and weigh

    Wash your hands with soap and water. Weigh the milk, butter, flour and sugar in grams; use measuring spoons for the salt and baking powder.

  2. Beat the wet things

    Beat the eggs and milk with a hand mixer on high for about 3 minutes, until pale and foamy. Then stir in the melted butter once it has cooled slightly.

    Ready when: The egg and milk mix is pale and foamy.

  3. Mix the dry things

    In a second bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar so the baking powder is spread evenly.

  4. Combine, then stop

    Add the dry mix to the wet and stir gently. Stop as soon as you can't see dry flour. Small lumps are good.

    Otto tried this firstOtto whisked until it was smooth like paint. Smooth batter spreads thin, so his first pancake came out flat.

  5. Let it rest

    Leave the batter for at least 15 minutes. Start warming the pan near the end of the rest.

    Ready when: The batter has thickened a little and falls from a spoon in soft clumps.

  6. Heat the pan to medium

    Heat the pan over medium heat. Before you grease it, flick in a single drop of water from your fingertip: when it skates and vanishes, the pan is ready. Then grease it very lightly with oil, a thin film only.

    Ready when: A drop of water skitters across the surface and evaporates at once.

    Otto tried this firstHigh heat, because faster is better. The outside went dark while the middle stayed wet.

  7. Pour, with room to spread

    Use 60 ml (¼ cup) of batter per pancake. Leave about 5 cm (2 in) between them so you have room to flip.

    Otto tried this firstThree at once, too close together. They joined into one giant continent.

  8. Wait for the bubbles

    Don't touch it. Flip once with a wide spatula when bubbles form and pop on the surface and the edges look set, about 2–3 minutes.

    Ready when: Bubbles form and pop on the surface and the edges look set and dull, about 2–3 minutes.

    Otto tried this firstHe flipped, then flipped again to check, and again. Flip once; lots of flipping makes pancakes tough.

  9. Finish and adjust

    Cook the second side for 1½–2 minutes, until golden. Too dark outside and still wet inside? Turn the heat down a little for the next batch. Still pale? Turn it up a little.

    Ready when: The second side is golden brown and the middle isn't wet.

  10. Repeat and serve

    Grease the pan lightly again if needed, and repeat until the batter is gone. Serve right away with butter and maple syrup.

Swaps

  • Instead of melted butter: the same amount of vegetable oil
  • Instead of sugar: 35 g (1/4 cup) malted milk powder Gives that diner-style pancake taste.
  • Instead of 60 g (1/2 cup) of the flour: 46 g (1/2 cup) ground oats A whole-grain version.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Need to cook them ahead and bring them to the table all at once? Stirring a grated apple into the batter keeps them moist for longer.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 3–4 days.

If something goes wrong

  • Thin, tough pancakes
    The batter was overmixed. Stir only until no dry flour shows; a few lumps are fine.
  • Too dark outside, wet inside
    The pan is too hot. Turn the heat down a little for the next batch.
  • Pale and slow to brown
    The pan is not hot enough. Turn the heat up a little and test with one pancake first.
  • Pancakes start to stick
    Grease the pan lightly again with a little oil between batches.

Good to know

  • Weigh the flour if you can; cup measures vary.
  • Baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing.
  • On a hot, humid day, or if the batter will rest longer than 15 minutes, use 227 g (1 cup) milk; in cold, dry weather use the full 283 g.

Safety

  • Kids: cook with an adult. The pan, the oil and the spatula get very hot. Turn the pan handle in so it can't be knocked, and use an oven mitt if you need to hold it.
  • Never taste raw batter, and don't lick the spoon or whisk: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs. Only cooking makes them safe.
  • Do the water-drop test before you grease the pan, with one drop from a fingertip: water on hot oil spits.
  • Unplug the hand mixer before you put in or take out the beaters, and keep fingers and spatulas out of the bowl while it runs.
  • Wash your hands after touching raw egg and flour, and wash bowls, whisk and counter with hot soapy water.