How to make the perfect pancake

Master this time-honoured breakfast staple

Creating the perfect pancake doesn’t have to be difficult. Armed with a few simple ingredients (and a little imagination), even the youngest of chefs can perfect this breakfast staple, says Daniel Brasileiro (Culinary Arts ’06), a Culinary Arts educational laboratory technologist.

He should know. In addition to his regular duties at NAIT, Brasileiro teaches some of polytechnic’s summer baking camps, where he uses this same recipe with pre-teens.

Here is Brasileiro’s method for making the perfect pancake. The recipe will yield 12, 6-inch pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 350 mL (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
  • 15 mL (1 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 5 mL (1 tsp) baking soda
  • 5 mL (1 tsp) baking powder
  • 2.5 mL (½ tsp) salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 420 mL (1 ¾ cups) milk (buttermilk, 2%, whole)
  • 45 mL (3 tbsp) melted butter
  • 240 mL (1 cup) fresh berries (sliced if necessary)


Method

Sift the first 5 ingredients together into a large bowl. “The flour will give our pancakes the structure while the leavening agents – the baking soda and baking powder ­– will give us our lift,” says Brasileiro. “That’s what’s going to cause the rise in the pan.”

Beat the next 3 liquid ingredients (eggs, milk and melted butter) together in a medium bowl until well combined. Also, feel free to use the milk of your choice – whole, 2%, skim, buttermilk or even soy milk.  And, if you wish, add a few drops of vanilla extract for more flavour, says Brasileiro.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients, and mix. “The batter should have some runniness, and not be too thick,” says Brasileiro. “That’s basically what we’re looking for.”

Heat your frying pan or electric griddle on medium-high heat until drops of water dance on the surface.  “The heat will help our pancake to rise,” says Brasileiro. You can also add of butter as required for additional flavor.

To make each 6-inch pancake, pour 60 mL (¼ cup) of batter into frying pan. Add fresh berries of your choice as the batter begins to cook. Your pancake is ready to flip when bubbles appear on the surface and edges are lightly browned (usually 2-3 minutes). Cook for another 30 seconds, or until the pancake is lightly browned on both sides.

Top with more berries, butter, maple syrup and icing sugar, and serve.

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