How to Get Homemade Pancakes Lighter in Texture

Fluffy pancakes can be achieved with the right ingredients and technique.

Pancakes are an easy mix of dry and wet ingredients that fry up quickly in a fry pan or griddle with butter, vegetable oil or spray. The wet ingredients may include egg, milk, vanilla flavoring, butter and vegetable oil or spray. Dry ingredients may be flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. When you make homemade pancakes from scratch, you have the flexibility to choose the amount of fat and to lighten the texture if desired. The lightness of the texture is determined by the types of ingredients and how they are handled.

Things You'll Need

• Sifter
• Frying pan or griddle
• Whisk or stirring spoon
• Measuring spoons
• Cup measure
• Mixing bowl
• A pancake recipe with:
• Egg
• Milk or buttermilk
• Vanilla (optional)
• Butter, vegetable oil or spray
• Flour
• Sugar
• Baking powder and/or baking soda
• Salt

Instructions

1. Sift the dry ingredients through a sifter before adding wet ingredients. The finer an ingredient is, the more it tends to clump in storage. Sifting breaks up clumps that won't come apart otherwise and prevents them from reforming in the mixture. Sifting also creates a more even distribution of dry ingredients.

2. Warm the milk by placing it in the microwave for a maximum of 20 seconds. Heat the egg by placing it in hot tap water for a few minutes.

3. Separate the egg yolk and egg white to achieve a fluffier texture. Beat the egg white until stiff. Mix the yoke into the batter first, then fold in the egg white. For additional lightness, beat an another egg white into soft peaks and add to the mixture.

4. Mix until the batter is moist. Lumps are fine. Don't overstir the wet and dry ingredients.

5. Allow the batter to sit for 10 minutes to an hour. The pancake batter becomes lighter and fluffier the longer it sits out. Pancakes made with whole grain flour absorb liquids at a lower rate than other flours.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a different flour or flour combinations as one way to determine the consistency of pancakes. Flours that produce a lighter texture are organic, whole grain, gluten-free and low-protein.

• Add buttermilk for a spongy, light texture and tangy butter flavor. These pancakes are soft and fluffy as well as full of flavor.

• If you want to lower the fat content, use egg whites only.

References

• SheSimmers: Homemade Pancake and Muffin Mixes According To Ratio
• Versagrain: How To Make Pancakes
• Chowhound: Simple Tricks for Light, Fluffy Pancakes
• Baking Bites: Do I Need a Flour Sifter?
• Big Oven: Buttermilk Pancakes

Resources

• BigOven: Pancake Recipes
• Ifood: Cooking Light Pancake Recipes