Flip Out: 6 Steps to Perfect Pancakes (and 3 Recipes You HAVE to Try)!
No need to hit up IHOP for your fix. You'll be flipping flawless flapjacks in no time if you follow these tips. Whip some up for Mother's Day brunch -- or anytime!
1. Before you ladle on the batter, wipe the excess butter from the hot griddle using a folded paper towel. This will ensure perfectly browned pancakes.
2. Use all-purpose flour in the batter. Bread flour yields tough, chewy pancakes; pancakes made with cake flour turn soggy when crowned with syrup. You can experiment with flours that don't affect the structure of the pancakes, such as cornmeal, buckwheat flour, or whole-wheat flour. Substitute half of the all-purpose flour for any one of these.
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3. Never whisk the batter until smooth; leaving lumps of unmoistened dry ingredients will result in fluffier pancakes.
4. Flip the pancakes just as the surface bubbles begin to burst. Flipping them after all the bubbles are gone produces a flatter pancake.
5. If you are adding ingredients such as blueberries or toasted nuts to the pancakes, sprinkle them over the pools of batter right after they are poured on the griddle; this will help distribute them evenly. Nut and granola toppings will also lose their crunch if they rest too long in the batter.
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6. Serve with a pat of softened butter between each pancake, and have a full pitcher of warm pure maple syrup on hand for pouring with abandon.
There you have it: 6 steps to perfect pancakes. Now test out your skills on these delicious recipes:
Buttermilk Pancakes
The addition of buttermilk gives these flapjacks a rich flavor with a pleasant acidic tang.
Silver Dollar Pear Pancakes
Small enough fit in the hand of the youngest pancake lover, these breakfast cakes have a sweet ring of maple-glazed pear in the center.
Dutch Baby Pancake
A close relative of the popover and Yorkshire pudding, the Dutch-Baby pancake rises and falls as it bakes, so the center stays soft and eggy.
Or create your own by mixing and matching from our list of add-ins:
Sliced bananas
Sliced peaches or pears and ground cardamom
Apples and ground cinnamon
Fresh raspberries or blackberries
Poppy seeds and lemon zest
Shredded sweetened dried coconut
Dried cherries and raisins plumped in fruit juice
Chocolate chips
Chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
Homemade granola
Happy flipping!
More from Martha Stewart Living:
Easy, Everyday Meatless Recipes
10 Healthy and Delicious Smoothie Recipes to Try
Favorite One-Pot Meals for the Family
31 Delicious, No-Fail Cookie Recipes
