Basic Breakfast Pancakes

Toss the boxed mix. These pancakes come together from flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, milk, and a glug of oil, all of it already in your kitchen, in about the time it takes the griddle to heat.

The single biggest mistake people make with pancakes is overmixing. Stir the wet into the dry just until combined, then stop, lumps and all. Beating the batter develops gluten and gives you tough, rubbery pancakes instead of tender, fluffy ones.

The other half of the battle is heat. Get the griddle hot enough that a flicked drop of water dances and bounces before you ladle on batter. Cook until bubbles break across the whole surface and the edges look set, then flip just once.

That half teaspoon of salt is small but mighty. Don’t skip it, or the whole stack tastes flat.

Chef Tips

• Resist flipping more than once. Each flip presses out air and flattens the rise.
• Let the batter rest about five minutes before cooking so the baking powder activates and the flour hydrates.
• Wipe the griddle with just a film of oil. Too much fries the surface unevenly and leaves blotchy pancakes.
• Hold finished pancakes on a rack in a 200°F (95°C) oven so they stay crisp instead of steaming limp on a plate.

Variations

• Swap one cup of white flour for whole wheat flour for a nuttier, heartier stack.
• Use buttermilk in place of milk, trading baking soda for some of the powder, for extra tang and lift.
• Fold pecans, walnuts, or blueberries into the dry ingredients so they don’t sink, or add an extra egg for thin, crepe-like pancakes.