How To Make The Best Homemade Pancakes

We all love the delicious taste and smell of homemade pancakes. Usually the tradition of eating pancakes starts in our homes when we are still kids. Later when we are older, we notice how homemade pancakes have this magical ability to turn anyone into a child again. Isn’t it amazing to wake up on a Saturday morning, rush into the kitchen and to see delicious, perfect homemade pancakes and smell the delicious butter and maple syrup.

I am pretty sure that part of the beauty of homemade pancakes is that they are so simple and easy to make. However, as with many simple dishes, you have to remember to pay attention to details. And that’s why I want to share with you with some ideas and few good tips so that you will be able to make perfect homemade pancakes every time you wish to satisfy your sweet tooth and to surprise your family or friends. Thanks to following these simple rules you will realize how fun and easy is making pancakes from scratch. Here is very simple recipe with many interesting tips that will help you make the best homemade pancakes of your choice:

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Vanilla extract

How to make the best homemade pancakes:

1. Here are easy instructions on how to make homemade pancakes. Remember that underneath I included few tips and some ideas on how you can add some variety to your pancakes.
2. In one bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
4. Make a hole in the middle of dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into it.
5. Whisk wet and dry ingredients until combined. Do not over mix the batter. It can have some lumps remaining.
6. Set the batter aside to rest for 5 minutes before cooking.
7. Heat the frying pan over the medium-high heat and brush it with few drops of oil or butter (you can use paper towel f you decide to use oil).
8. When the frying pan is hot, pour about ¼ cup of the batter onto the frying pan, but if you want to make silver dollar pancakes use tablespoon and pour about 1 big tablespoon onto the frying pan.
9. Cook pancakes on one side for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Flip pancakes using the spatula and cook again for about 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Serve warm and with desired topping.

Additional Tips For The Best Homemade Pancakes:

Using Ingredients: remember that it is better to use fresh ingredients, do not use baking soda which is 2 years old  Always measure ingredients carefully, batter that is too thin can result in flat pancakes, and one which is too thick will not spread much at all, if you like your pancakes thinner, add more milk to the batter. It is very important to mix dry and wet ingredients in a separate bowls if you are making American style pancakes.

Making Batter: to make really fluffy pancakes, separate eggs. Add egg yolks where recipe calls for eggs and beat egg whites separately, and fold them at the end.  Do not use electric mixer and do not over mix the batter because this overdevelops the gluten, and your pancakes can be rubbery instead of being light and airy.  If you use baking soda to make batter, cook it immediately, because the liquid starts reacting and the batter will go flat. Do not worry if your batter have some lumps remaining, they will disappear during cooking. Remember that you can always make pancakes as you like them- so if the batter seems too thick, add a tablespoon of milk or buttermilk, if it seems too runny, you can add tablespoon or more of flour. Remember that batter made with wheat flour will thicken as it stands.

Griddle or frying pan: a griddle with a temperature control is very good for cooking pancakes. Set it on 375 degrees F when preheating and then turn down to 360 when you are cooking pancakes. If you do not have griddle, you can use a frying pan, which should be heat over medium high heat. Do not brush the griddle or frying pan with butter or oil until it is preheated. Do not add a lot of butter or oil, one tablespoon is enough when you are cooking 12 pancakes. If you notice that you really need more, do not add more than one tablespoon at once. Test if griddle is hot enough by sprinkling few drops of water. If drops dance and sizzle, the griddle is ready to use.

Pouring Pancakes to pour the batter onto the frying pan, you can use ladle. Remember that it is good to hold the ladle near the surface of the griddle. If you hold it to high, you can break the air bubbles in the batter. It is your choice how big or small pancakes you want, but usually it is advised to pour ¼ cup of the batter if you want bigger pancakes, and one or two tablespoons for smaller pancakes.

Cooking pancakes: do not flip pancakes more than one time because they can break easily. Remember that second side cooks faster than first, and it takes usually only half time to cook the other side. Use thin spatula to flip pancakes. First, lift only the edge of pancakes with spatula to see of pancake if golden brown and ready to flip. Never pat pancakes with spatula.

Serving pancakes: serve pancakes warm and arrange them nicely on a serving platter. Before serving pancakes, you may want to keep them in a warm oven so that they will not get cold before eating. Heat syrup in a microwave for about 20 seconds, garnish pancakes with some fruits, nuts or powdered sugar and spread the syrup on them.

Freezing pancakes: if you have some leftovers, you can always freeze them! Cool and wrap them in aluminum foil and place them in a freezer bag for up to month. To reheat, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover with foil and heat at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Pancake Ideas For Delicious Homemade Pancakes:

Remember, that you do not have to stop here. Pancakes are remarkably versatile snacks. Here are some ideas on sweet and savory combinations that make pancakes a delicious treat:

To make pancakes you don’t have to use flour base every time. It is good to try something new from time to time. There are many pancake varieties all over the world and almost all of them are worth trying. If you don’t want to go that far, you can experiment with basic ingredients.

Instead of milk: you can use buttermilk or even plain yogurt. It is always good to try something new! If you are bored with milk, you can always add some coco milk, the taste of pancakes is amazing.

For variety: stir fresh or frozen fruits into the batter before cooking pancakes. You can add strawberries, blueberries, bananas, raspberries, apples, peaches and many others. Moreover, if you like nuts, you have to try adding pecans and walnuts. For chocolate taste, you can use chocolate chips, cocoa or milk chocolate. Almost everything goes good with homemade pancakes. Add ricotta to your pancakes for delicious and subtle taste.

Spices: adding spices to your homemade pancakes will make them taste even much better. I like adding cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla extract.

Here are some pancakes ideas, which you may like:

Ideas For Sweet Pancakes:

Who does not love delicious sweet pancakes? Here are some ideas for yummy sweet homemade pancakes.

• Flourless Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes
• Cinnamon-Peach Cottage Cheese Pancakes
• Blueberry Flax Pancakes
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Whole Wheat, Oatmeal and Banana Pancakes
• Ricotta Pancakes
• Chocolate and Banana Pancakes
• Nutella Pancakes
• Apricot and Almonds Pancakes
• Chocolate Chip Pancakes
• Peanut butter Pancakes
• Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Ideas For Savory Pancakes:

If you are one of those people that try to avoid sweet food then savory pancakes are the thing for you.

• Zucchini Pancakes
• Ham and Cheese Pancakes
• Spinach and Bacon Pancakes
• Potato Pancakes
• Mushrooms with Cheese Pancakes
• Roast Vegetable Pancakes

Pancake Topping Ideas:

Here is the list of the best toppings for pancakes. Of course you might use some other toppings but trying one from the list below will not let you down.

• Honey
• Canned or fresh fruits (slices)
• Jam
• Chocolate Syrup
• Ice Cream
• Whipped Cream
• Crème Brule
• Caramel
• Raspberry Syrup
• Fruit Yogurt
• Butterscotch Syrup
• Cream Cheese
• Apple Cider Syrup
• Coconut Syrup
• Honey Butter
• Cinnamon Maple Butter
• Fluffy Rum Sauce
• Brown Sugar Pancake Syrup