Recipe Station

I’m not gonna lie and say that I am now a pancake expert, but in this case, practice definitely makes almost perfect! And since breakfast is the most important meal of the day and pancakes are my kid’s ultimate favorite I have learned to hate making them a little less by adopting these simple tips.

1. Let the batter sit

The biggest mistake I was making for all those years was being in a rush. I would start out slow, following the recipe instructions carefully, measuring each ingredient perfectly before and tossing them together in a bowl and mixing at warp speed until my arm was numb before pour it straight into the pan. The best advice I’ve received for fluffy pancakes is to take mix gently before giving it some time to let your batter rest. Now I get up early make the batter before my coffee and I let it chill on the counter for at least five minutes sometime up to a half an hour or more!

I’ve even made it the night before and put it in the fridge for the next morning. This easy step will change your pancake making life!

Give the batter a rest before cooking. A rest of at least five minutes allows for the even hydration of the batter and also allows the gluten you created—which will develop even with careful, minimal mixing—to relax. The lumps will smooth out somewhat during this rest.

For more tips visit: Fine Cooking

2. Pan temperature is key

For years I used my cast iron skillet, but it took many ruined batches of pancakes before I got it right. I would heat it with the dial set between med and med low for ten minutes then lower it to low before pouring in the first pancake. Then I would adjust based on how that first one came out. It was a tedious way to make pancakes! I would end up tossing more than one in the trash, so when I read that electric griddles are a foolproof way to getting the right temperature every time I had to buy one!

Now there is no guesswork. I get the right temp every time and I can make six pancakes at a time, which cuts my time in the kitchen in half. I don’t know how I went all those years making pancakes with out one.

Not hot enough; slow cooking makes tough pancakes. Too hot; burned edges and burned flour. Test by making a one tablespoon pancake and adjust temperature accordingly. With an electric griddle, 375 degrees is perfect.

For more information visit: The Great American Pancake Company

3. Mix it up

Once I got my batter and skillet technique down my husband confessed that having pancakes every Sunday morning was, OK.

OK? I said. I had been slaving away trying to eliminate all my hot cake mistakes and he was just OK with them. So I decided to find a way to bring a little something extra to the Sunday morning breakfast table and since he's a huge cinnamon bun fan I found a recipe that combines the two.

Pancakes don’t have to be boring! There are hundreds of ways to liven them up, chocolate chips, blueberries, even bacon can be added to the batter. These delicious cakes are swirled with cinnamon and glazed with cream cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar

• ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

• 2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

• ¾ cup powdered sugar

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup milk

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

For instructions visit: Midget Mamma

Even though I mix my batter slow and let it rest every time I step up to my 375 degree griddle, I still have misses, tossing a few for raw centers for burnt edges but with these tips in my arsenal those times are fewer and father between. The truth is, I still don’t LOVE making pancakes, but at least now I'm not cussing under my breath every time I flip one over and my family, including my husband, are excited to sit see what surprise pancake I have waiting for them every single Sunday!

What Do You Liven Up Your Pancakes With? 

Tell Us About It!