The Fluffiest Pancake

Article by Martha Tinkler

The Food Network test kitchen tried many different techniques to bring you these extremely fluffy but unfussy pancakes (no whipping egg whites to stiff peaks, here). Read on for our tips and tricks and the final – dare we say perfect – recipe.

What Makes These Pancakes So Fluffy?

Leaveners: We used both baking soda and baking powder in these pancakes. Baking soda is an alkaline ingredient that reacts with the acid in the buttermilk to create the dramatic bubbles you see in the crumb of the pancake. It also causes beautiful browning. Baking powder, which has acid built into its composition, also helps the pancakes rise and brings pleasant tang to the batter.

Buttermilk: Even leaveners need a little help sometimes. The acid in buttermilk activates the baking soda more effectively than a different liquid like milk or cream. Think of buttermilk as a leavening booster.

Quick Whip: You’ll add even more bubbles (which equate to fluffiness) to the batter by quickly and vigorously whipping it with a whisk. It’s the same concept as making whipped cream. You are whipping in air.

Tips for Fluffy Pancakes

Don’t over mix: It’s as simple as it sounds. While whisking can make bubbles, it can also break them. Over mixing your batter will give you tough, deflated pancakes. Better to leave a few lumps than mix too much.

Start with room temperature ingredients: Think of your ingredients as players on a team. When you add them cold, it takes longer to get in the game, whereas if the players are warmed up, they are ready to go from the first whistle. Because we are trying so hard to get this light, airy batter, you don’t want to use cold ingredients that will take longer to combine. If you don’t want to wait, submerge the eggs in warm water for 5 minutes and microwave a measured amount of buttermilk in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals until no longer cold, about 1 minute.

Make the batter right before cooking: This is not a batter you want to make ahead of time. As the batter sits, the air you worked to incorporate into it escapes, meaning deflated pancakes. If you are trying to do some make ahead prep, mix your dry together ahead and store it in the pantry.

Make one tester pancake: Everybody’s stove is a little different. Whether gas, electric or induction, they each have their own temperatures and temperaments. Your medium-low might be someone else’s medium or low. Give yourself a small starter pancake before you make a big batch. Get the feel of your heat and make sure it is giving you a nice golden-brown pancake that is cooked in the middle. Too hot will leave you with an underdone center, and too low will make it rubbery. The perfect pancake ready for flipping should be golden brown on the bottom and the top should be scattered with little bubbles poking through the batter after about 3 minutes. Flip and cook to a golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes.

Brush your griddle with butter: Whether you are using cast iron or nonstick griddle (a skillet is also perfectly fine), you need to make sure you are using the right amount of butter. Using a brush helps to create coverage without using too much. Also, keep a paper towel handy to wipe down the griddle if the butter begins to brown.

How to Store and Reheat Fluffy Pancakes

Hold pancakes warm in the oven: A great trick for making a big batch of pancakes is to keep an oven at about 200 degrees. Add the pancakes to a sheet pan in the oven as you make them to keep them warm while making more batches. If you are making more than one batch, use aluminum foil to cover the pancakes, as they will dry out if they are in the oven too long.

How to store the pancakes: While you should make your pancakes as soon as you finish your batter, it doesn’t mean you have to eat them then. Let the pancakes cool completely, then stack them in an airtight container and they will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you want to keep them for longer, lay them flat in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can stack them in an airtight container or resealable bag for up to 2 months. This extra step keeps the pancakes from sticking to each other while freezing. To save time, you could also slide a sheet of parchment or wax paper between each pancake and stack them while freezing.

How to reheat the pancakes: If you are heating one or two pancakes, a quick 30 seconds in the microwave or a minute in the toaster oven (at 400 degrees F bake) or air fryer (at 250 degrees F reheat) should do it, but if you are reheating a whole batch—either from frozen or fridge, you can place them on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack. Pour a few tablespoons of water onto the bottom of the baking sheet and wrap the whole thing in foil. Bake in a 300 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes from the fridge or 20 to 25 from the freezer.