Best Fluffy Pancakes

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose (or plain flour)

1/4 cup granulated sugar (or sweetener)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda*

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

Directions

Combine together the flour, sugar (or sweetener), baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large-sized bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the milk, slightly cooled melted butter, vanilla and egg.

Use a wire whisk to whisk the wet ingredients together first before slowly folding them into the dry ingredients. Mix together until smooth (there may be a couple of lumps but that's okay).(The batter will be thick and creamy in consistency. If you find the batter too thick -- doesn't pour off the ladle or out of the measuring cup smoothly -- fold a couple tablespoons of extra milk into the batter at a time until reaching desired consistency).

Set the batter aside and allow to rest while heating up your pan or griddle.

Heat a nonstick pan or griddle over low-medium heat and wipe over with a little butter to lightly grease pan. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the pan and spread out gently into a round shape with the back of your ladle or measuring cup.

When the underside is golden and bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip with a spatula and cook until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with honey, maple syrup, fruit, ice cream or frozen yoghurt, or enjoy plain!

Notes

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST FLUFFY PANCAKES:

It all starts with the batter. Too thick and they will be gluggy and undercooked on the inside. Too runny, and the pancakes will spread out and won’t fluff up. I like to test the batter with my spoon or ladle, lifting it gently above the rim of the bowl. It has to be thick, but able to run slowly and nicely off the spoon. A couple of lumps is okay, but I do like to smooth out my batter as much as I can, gently with a wire whisk.

HOW TO COOK PERFECT PANCAKES:

1. Preheat your good quality, non stick pan or griddle on medium heat first. Once it’s hot, lower the heat down to low-medium heat. Wait about two minutes. This part is crucial and so worth it. Lightly grease the pan with a small amount of butter (yes, even on non stick pans), and wipe away any excess butter with a sheet of paper towel.

2. Use a ¼ cup-sized measuring cup to pour your batter so you get perfect, evenly sized pancakes. Start pouring from the middle, then continue pouring slowly in a circular motion so that the batter spreads into perfect round shapes.

3. Allow the pancakes to cook properly! Don’t rush them on high heat, or flip them too early. Let that under-side cook to a beautiful golden brown colour, and when bubbles start forming on top and around the surface (batter side), they are ready to flip.

4. How to get that flip perfected without creating lopsided pancakes? Grab a good, plastic spatula and slide it underneath the pancake. Use your wrist to gently flip them instead of using your whole arm. You’ll know what I mean when you’re in front of your pan ready to flip. This makes a huge difference.

Nutrition

• Calories: 156 kcal
• Total Fat: 6 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 1.3 g
• Trans Fat: 0.2 g
• Cholesterol: 30 mg
• Sodium: 311 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 22 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 4 g