Perfect Homemade Pancakes made from scratch using simple ingredients. Takes minutes to prepare and better than any mix. These are delicious, fluffy pancakes with crispy edges. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Almost every Sunday, my Dad would have hot oiled skillets on the stove with a big bowl of pancake batter. While he cooked he sang oldies but goodies with spatula in hand. The counters were dusted with pancake mix as Dad was not the neatest cook but a heck of a good one. A bottle of syrup would on the kitchen table along with accompaniments of sour cream and sweetened strawberries. If we were lucky, whipped cream would also be served.
Pancakes were cooked according to taste. I liked mine thick and fluffy while everyone else in my family preferred thin and crisp. Therefore, Dad always made mine first before thinning the batter for the rest of family.
I admit, I used to use a box version to make breakfast for my kids just like my Dad did for us. Now, I'm such a stickler for making everything I can from scratch and that’s what I made for my family. Like my Dad, I would play music as I cooked, using the spatula as my microphone.
Mixing a batch of pancake batter is just as easy as using the box stuff. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, mix the wet in a [easyazon_link identifier="B00LGLHU0K" locale="US" tag="thegeneticche-20"]2 cup measure[/easyazon_link], and mix.
Butter or Oil?
I recommend using vegetable oil for cooking these pancakes. I know you think butter may be best, but hear me out. Melted butter is in the batter so you'll already have a buttery taste in the pancake itself. Butter browns and can burn while getting your skillet hot and that will not only change the flavor, but change the color. Instead of golden pancakes, you'll have brown pancakes which may not be fully cooked because the color may be deceiving. Using oil will heat evenly creating the perfect pancake with a slightly crispy edge. If you still want butter, be my guest.
These are perfect served with a pad of butter and warmed pure maple syrup. You can also serve with some fresh berries and whipped cream or sour cream and sweetened sliced strawberries which are fantastic together. But don’t stop there, you can add blueberries or chocolate chips in the batter.
A ½ cup ladle makes about 6 (5”) pancakes. This recipe would be 2 servings for my boys. A [easyazon_link identifier="B001J8407Q" locale="US" tag="thegeneticche-20"]⅓ cup measure[/easyazon_link] yields about 10 pancakes. When I make homemade pancakes for my family of 5, I double the recipe and serve with bacon or sausages, some fresh fruit, juice and coffee. Because of the additional sides, they will eat about 2 - 3 pancakes and I’ll have a few leftover for the next day. These reheat well in a [easyazon_link identifier="B01N5UPTZS" locale="US" tag="thegeneticche-20"]toaster oven[/easyazon_link].
These also freeze well allowing you to enjoy them anytime. When freezing, place a piece of parchment paper in between the pancakes to prevent sticking. Simply toast on low to slowly warm and crisp.
Some pointers for perfect pancakes…
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees to keep the pancakes warm while you cook the rest.
- Use room temperature milk before mixing into the batter. Doing this prevents the cold milk from clumping the butter in the batter. You can heat it in the microwave for 15 - 30 seconds until just warm to touch.
- Alternatively, heat on top of stove in same pan you used for butter just until warm to touch. This prevents melted butter from lumping up when milk is added.
- Let it sit while you are getting the skillet hot. This gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid.
- Place your skillet over medium to medium low heat and let it get hot. You’ll know because the oil will start to ripple and flow easily when tilting the pan.
- Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancake and start to pop. Flip and cook other side until golden about 1 - 2 minutes more.
- Transfer onto a [easyazon_link identifier="B0049C2S32" locale="US" tag="thegeneticche-20"]baking sheet[/easyazon_link] and keep warm in oven. Continue cooking pancakes with remaining batter adding more oil for [easyazon_link identifier="B00006JSUA" locale="US" tag="thegeneticche-20"]skillet[/easyazon_link] or griddle when needed. You may have to adjust and lower heat as the skillet will be good and hot.
This is an easy recipe. To prove how easy it is, my son has been making these for us since he was 8 years old. He’s 14 now and still making them. I figure if he can do it, you can too.
You also must try my German pancakes a.k.a. Dutch baby. It's another family favorite.
Life is too short for mediocre food.
Have you seen these?
Perfect Homemade Pancakes
PRINT PIN SAVEUsing ½ cup scoop yields about 6 (5”) pancakes
Using ⅓ cup scoop yields about 10 (4”) pancakes
Using ¼ cup scoop yields about 12 (3”) pancakes
Recipe can easily be doubled and pancakes freeze and reheat well to enjoy anytime.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ¼ cup milk room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- Vegetable oil for skillet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet on hand to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Heat milk in the microwave for 15 - 30 seconds until just warm to touch. Alternatively, heat on top of stove in a small pan just until warm to touch. This prevents melted butter from lumping up when milk is added.
- Whisk the egg right into the measuring cup.
- Add the butter and milk/egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until incorporated. Batter will be thick with a few small lumps, but that's ok. At this point you can let it sit for 10 minutes which is a good time to get your pans ready or to heat up the griddle.
- In a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat, add 1 - 2 tablespoons of oil or enough to just coat bottom of skillet. When oil is shimmering, ladle or scoop about ⅓ cup batter for each pancake. You should be able to fit 2 or 3 depending on the size of your skillet. You can fit more on the griddle.
- Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form on top of the pancake and start to pop - a few minutes depending on your heat. It's better to cook them low and slow to ensure they rise and cook through. Flip and cook other side until golden about 1 - 2 minutes. Transfer onto a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Continue cooking pancakes with remaining batter adding more oil for skillet or griddle when needed.
Notes
Nutritional Information
I don't post the nutritional value because I don't trust the accuracy of the nutritional apps. I’m not a nutritionist and don't want to post misinformation.
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Did you make this recipe? Let me know!