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Fluffy pancakes
Thick, soft American-style pancakes with berries and maple syrup, about 12 of them.
These are thick, soft American-style pancakes, the kind you stack and pour syrup over. Baking powder gives them their rise, and a lightly mixed batter keeps them tender. One bowl and about thirty minutes make a stack of twelve, enough for four.
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 250 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 40 g butter, 30g melted for the batter, the rest for the pan
- 200 g mixed berries, fresh or frozen, to serve (thaw frozen ones in a bowl while you cook)
- 4 tbsp maple syrup, to serve
Method
- Melt 30g of the butter in a small pan over a low heat until it is liquid and no solid pieces remain, 1 to 2 minutes, then set it aside to cool a little, so it does not start to cook the eggs in the batter.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Whisking the dry ingredients first spreads the baking powder evenly, so every pancake rises the same.
- Whisk the milk, eggs and melted butter together in a jug, pour into the well and whisk until no dry flour is left. Stop there: a few small lumps keep the pancakes tender. Now switch the oven to its lowest setting, about 60°C (50°C fan), with a plate inside, and leave the batter to rest for 5 minutes while you heat the pan.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat (keep it there for every batch) and rub it with a little of the remaining butter. Spoon in about 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake, three at a time, and cook until bubbles rise and pop on the top and the edges look dry, 1½ to 2 minutes.
- Flip each pancake and cook until it has puffed up, the underside is golden and the middle springs back when pressed with no wet batter seeping out, about 1 minute more. Move them to the warm plate in the oven, loosely covered with foil so they stay soft, and repeat with the rest of the batter, adding a little butter to the pan each time.
- Stack three pancakes on each plate, scatter over the berries and pour over the maple syrup. Serve straight away, while they are soft and warm.
Tips
- Stop whisking as soon as the dry flour disappears; a lumpy batter makes lighter pancakes.
- Flip when bubbles pop on the top and the edges look dry, not before.
- Keep the first batches warm on a plate in a low oven while you cook the rest.
Common questions
Why are my pancakes flat?
An overmixed batter or old baking powder is usually the cause. Mix only until combined and check the baking powder date.
Can I make pancake batter the night before?
It is best fresh, because the baking powder starts working as soon as it is wet. Weigh out the dry ingredients the night before instead.