How to Make Perfect Pancakes

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How to Make Perfect Pancakes… and then one day it dawned on her that she owned a bed & breakfast yet there was not a basic pancake or maple syrup recipe anywhere on her blog. And so she had pancakes to solve the problem.

How to Make Perfect Homemade Pancakes

But, you know, she only had one.

How to Make Perfect Pancakes

Preheat stovetop to medium heat or griddle to 350°F.

Pancakes

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk (or milk with a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice added to it), room temperature
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup melted butter, canola oil, or vegetable oil (but butter is best)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Whisk dry ingredients together and set aside.

Whisk wet ingredients together and set aside.

Gently stir dry and wet pancake ingredients together until just combined and still lumpy. Stirring ingredients too much will result in rubbery pancakes.

Wait until the griddle has been preheated. It will be tempting to pour the batter upon the pan before it is hot but do not give in to the temptation. When the time is right, pour a half cup of batter into the pan and spread in a circular motion just a wee bit to make about a five-inch pancake.

If you prefer pancakes with beautiful crispy, light golden brown edges, use a cast iron pan and melt a little butter in the pan before cooking each pancake.

Be sure to wait until 5-6 bubbles in the middle of the pancake begin to burst, then flip.

Yes. Yes, indeed, you can have a perfect first pancake.

In fact, you can have ten perfect pancakes all in a row.

Pancake Troubleshooting

The outside is too dark and the inside is raw:

  • The burner is too high – Turn it down & allow it to cool to a new temperature. Trying to cook them faster will only result in pancakes that are raw in the middle.
  • Too much sugar – Start batter over & follow measurements carefully. More sugar in pancakes is not better.
  • The pancake was not cooked long enough. Cook a bit longer on each side. Signs that the second side is done are the middle will get puffy & the edges will turn from shiny to dull.

The batter is too thick or too thin:

  • Be sure to use room temperature buttermilk and eggs.
  • Make sure you measure the buttermilk and flour correctly: Scoop and level the flour across the top. Don’t pack or shake it down.
  • Make sure your baking powder has not expired.

Pancake sticking to the pan or burning quickly:

  • Make sure you didn’t add too much sugar.
  • Most foods stick to the pan at first. Let them cook long enough and they’ll stop clinging to the pan. Be patient.
  • Make sure your pan doesn’t have scratches or worn spots on the non-stick surface.
  • Don’t let your pan or griddle go above 375.

Pancakes fall apart while cooking:

  • Make sure your burner has been preheated.
  • Make sure that you measured the flour correctly. You might need a little bit more.
  • Use large eggs. If you only have small eggs, use 4 small instead of 3 large ones.

Pancakes are too rubbery:

  • This happens when you over stir the batter.

Maple Syrup Recipe Here

And then she celebrated. And she had a second pancake.

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15 thoughts on “How to Make Perfect Pancakes
  1. Would this recipe still work as good if I replaced the milk with buttermilk?

    1. Hello Elza! Yes, I have made these with buttermilk as well. If you find them on the thick side, you can then add the additional 2 tablespoons of regular milk to thin them out. I hope you enjoy them! 🙂

  2. I loved this recipe. I made it this morning after waking up from a dream about pancakes, and it was a hit with not only myself but my roommates. I like sweet things, so after making and trying the first pancake, I added about 1/4 of a cup of sugar (like I said, I like things sweet), and then for the last half of the batter I added chocolate chips. They were gobbled right up, and the [very] few extras I had left I just wrapped and popped in the freezer for a later date. Thanks for providing this great recipe, it’s now my go-to for light, perfectly fluffy pancakes 🙂

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