Every expert we spoke with warned us about the dangers of overmixing pancake batter. Rizwan Asad, who runs the Chocolates & Chai recipe blog, described what you should be aiming for: “The ideal batter for American-style pancakes is ‘almost-combined,’ meaning that the batter is almost completely mixed but is still thick. You may be able to see a few streaks of flour.”
Senouci has a suggestion that not only makes your batter better, but allows you to preheat a pan and pour yourself another cup of coffee before you start cooking. “Let the batter rest for about 10 minutes,” she said. “This allows the baking powder to activate and the gluten to relax, resulting in fluffier, more tender pancakes. It’s a small step that makes a big difference in texture and ensures even cooking. Skipping this rest time can lead to dense pancakes.”
You’ll want to lightly grease your cooking surface before you heat it up. Kwee said that oil or butter will both work, but she has another suggestion that might up your game and keep your smoke alarm quiet: “The milk solids in butter tend to burn if the temperature gets too high, so ghee is a better option,” she said.
“Don’t mess with the pancakes too much while cooking,” DiBari said. “Try to resist the urge to flip them too soon, and let them get a nice golden crust first. When you see bubbles begin to form on the surface of the pancake and the edges begin to brown, those are good indicators that the pancake is ready to flip.”
For an even faster prep time, you can skip the stove altogether, said Cynthia Christensen of the But First We Brunch blog. “If you’re cooking for a crowd, are rushed in the morning or just don’t feel like standing at the hot stove for 30 minutes flipping pancakes, try baking your pancakes in the oven,” she suggested. To do this, mix the batter as usual, spread it in a sheet pan that’s been lined with parchment and greased with butter and bake at 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until the center of the pancake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Once you’ve made all these pancakes, you need a way to manage the leftovers. Here’s one idea from Joanne Gallagher, recipe developer and co-founder at the recipe site Inspired Taste: “Pancakes freeze so well,” she said. “You can even make two batches at once and freeze the extras. I line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add pancakes so they don’t touch and freeze until they’re hard. Then I transfer them to an airtight container and keep them in the freezer.”
“Can we all agree that the first pancake you make is meant to be ugly, misshapen and maybe a bit raw in the middle?” she asked. “Your first few pancakes will help you gauge if they’re cooking too quickly because your pan is too hot, or they’re sticking to the pan because it’s too cool, for example.”
“It’s not often we get a chance to just really mess something up on the way to perfecting it in such a delicious manner,” she said. “So enjoy the morning and the time you get to spend flipping pancakes and filling your home with the smell of a great homemade breakfast, and revel in the fact that like most everything about home, it’s the imperfections that make it so incredibly wonderful.”…Read more by Julie Kendrick