Mel's Light & Fluffy Pancakes

Most Saturday mornings I make a big breakfast or brunch for us enjoy.

I make pancakes, waffles, french toast or Monkey Bread.

Sometimes we have bacon & eggs alongside our carbs :)

For the past several years, I would make Pancakes & Waffles from the box mix. Sometimes it was the just add water mix and the pancakes (and waffles) never turned out good. They were tough & bland. 

They never tasted like the ones you would get at your favorite breakfast spot.

Sometimes I would use Bisquick & their recipe for Pancakes & Waffles. Still not that good. Still tough/dense and not light & fluffy.

A year ago, Kate & Claire went to an American Girl cooking class at Williams Sonoma and they made Waffles from scratch. The girls said they were the best waffles they have ever had.

They got to bring  he recipe home and whenever we have waffles, Kate would make us the waffles from scratch. They were SO MUCH better than the box mix.  They were light & fluffy and tasted like restaurant quality. It inspired me to make pancakes from scratch and get light & fluffy pancakes.

As some of you know, my 105 year old Grammy loved to cook & I got her recipe box and her cookbooks. She had a recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes, so I tested it out. It was way better than Bisquick or a box mix, but it still wasn't perfect. After doing some research, I decided to tweak Grammy's Buttermilk Pancake mix. Instead of using store bought Buttermilk, I could make my own Buttermilk "soured milk"  using milk & vinegar.  I followed Grammy's recipe but instead of using store bought Buttermilk, I used my "soured milk" and BINGO!!! 

Pancake Perfection. Restaurant Quality.

A few weeks ago,  I posted about these pancakes on Instagram and a lot of people commented that they wanted the recipe, so here you go! 

Here is what you need.......

1 1/2 Cups of Milk

1/4 Cup of White Vinegar

2 cups of flour

1/4 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup melted butter

*Optional: 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Cooking Spray or more butter for the skillet (I use butter for the skillet)

 Directions:

Combine your milk & vinegar. Set aside at room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes.

This is basically making your own buttermilk...also known as "soured milk" and this is one of the keys to light & fluffy pancakes. This makes all the difference!!!! Do not skip this step!!!

This is what it looks like after 15 minutes...bubbling is good :)

**Side note: Take out your eggs when you start making the "soured milk". You want the eggs at room temperature.

I keep the milk/vinegar in a 2 cup measuring cup. Then after 15 minutes, add the eggs, melted butter & vanilla into the "soured milk:

 Whisk together the milk, eggs & vanilla in into "soured" milk.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Then, pour the milk/vinegar/egg/vanilla mixture into the flour mixture. 
Stir gently with a spoon or spatula to combine until ingredients are just moistened.

 DO NOT OVERMIX!!!!!

 There should be clumps. This is good! You want the batter to be clumpy!

Again, I repeat.... DO NOT OVERMIX. Keep the batter clumpy!

The gluten in the flour starts to develop as soon as liquid touches it, and the more you mix, the tougher the gluten becomes. Tough gluten means tough pancakes. If your batter has lumps, that's fine....they'll cook out on the griddle. Trust Me :)

We cook our pancakes on an electric skillet. I have it heated to 350 degrees.

I like to use butter on the skillet before I add my batter. 

Adding butter to the skillet is another key to delicious pancakes.

Use a 1/8 the measuring cup & pour the batter onto the hot, buttered skillet. 

 I cook 6 pancakes at a time....after each batch...add more butter to the skillet. 

 A pancake is ready to be turned over when it's dry around the edges and bubbles have formed over the top. 

The second side will cook more quickly than the first.

While you're waiting for the second side to cook, resist the impulse to press down the pancake with your spatula. Look how light & fluffy these are....

 Pressing will not make it cook any faster, and you'll undo all the effort you've made to achieve fluffy, light, perfect pancakes in the first place.

 Who knew pancakes could be so beautiful? LOL!

These taste just like pancakes you would get at your favorite diner or breakfast spot.

This recipe makes between 12-14 pancakes and one batch is perfect for our family of 5.

 These pancakes are light, fluffy & they melt in your mouth.

  I hope you love these pancakes as much as we do! 

I will NEVER, EVER,  EVER make pancakes from a box mix. 

I will always make them from scratch....They taste so much better and they are easy to make!

Once you go scratch, you never go back :)

Let me know if you make them & have success with these light & fluffy pancakes!
Enjoy!