Breakfast Pancakes
Submitted by gmkherani
Breakfast pancakes made cloud-fluffy by separating the eggs and folding stiffly whipped whites into the batter. The technique that delivers diner-style pillowy stacks at home in 40 minutes.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
15 minREADY
40 minThe difference between flat, dense pancakes and the cloud-like stacks you get at a good diner often comes down to one trick: separating the eggs. The yolks go into the batter with the milk and melted butter, then the whites get whipped to stiff peaks and folded in at the very end. The trapped air expands as the pancakes cook, giving you a thick, fluffy texture without any extra leavening.
The recipe also makes clever use of the melted butter. You pour most of it into the batter and leave the rest to grease the pan for the first round of cooking. Hot pan, gentle batter handling, and a confident flip the moment bubbles pop across the top. Serve straight off the griddle with maple syrup and fresh fruit before the steam escapes and the stack deflates.
Pro Tips
- Whip the whites to firm but not dry peaks. Over-whisked whites turn grainy and refuse to fold cleanly into the batter.
- Fold in two or three additions with a metal spoon or rubber spatula. Stirring deflates everything you just whipped in.
- Wait until you see bubbles forming and popping across the surface before flipping. Pancakes flipped too early end up gummy in the middle.
- Resist the urge to press them down with the spatula after flipping. That squeezes out all the air you worked to incorporate.
- Keep finished pancakes warm in a low oven on a wire rack rather than a plate. A plate traps steam and turns them soggy.
Variations
- Fold a handful of fresh blueberries or chopped banana into the batter just before adding the whites.
- Stir cinnamon and a grating of nutmeg into the dry mix for warm-spiced pancakes.
- Replace half the all-purpose with whole wheat flour for more fiber and a nuttier flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Put a frying pan on a low to medium heat and melt the butter.
Whilst the butter is melting, measure the flour and sift into a large mixing bowl.
Add the salt, sugar and baking powder.
Measure the milk in a measuring jug.
Separate the eggs and place the whites in a cup, adding the yolks to the milk.
Add the melted butter from the frying pan.
Remove as much from the pan as you can, but don’t be too particular.
The remaining butter in the frying pan will be used to cook the pancakes in.
I use a rubber spatula to get most of it off the pan.
Leave the ring on, but don’t put the pan back on it.
When the butter has coagulated, add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them up.
I use a metal spoon.
It is at this stage you can judge whether the mixture has the right consistency.
Wash the measuring jug and dry it thoroughly.
Pour the egg whites into it and whisk with an electric hand-held whisk.
I whisk them until they are quite hard.
(If there are lumps in the batter, you can user the whisk to get rid of them.)
Using the spatula, transfer all the egg whites into the big bowl.
Fold the egg whites into the batter with the metal spoon until they are all incorporated.
The batter is now ready.
Put the frying pan back on the heat and wait until it is to a reasonable temperature.
Make the pancakes one at a time, turning them over when the underside is cooked.
Eat immediately with maple syrup and fresh fruits if desired.
Comments
