This diner I used to go to had the most fluffy, melt in your mouth pancakes I’ve ever had. I tried a lot of methods to recreated them. Like whipping the eggs whites, adding more baking powder, making the batter thin, making it thick, smoothing the lumps, leaving the lumps, high-temperature cooking, low-temperature cooking, nonstick pan, castiron pan, butter, oil, shortening, but nothing even came close.
As it turns out, all that fiddling was not in vain! I found that if I whisked the batter smooth and then let it rest for an hour or so, I finally got the texture I was after. My guess is that the diner used just an ordinary pancake mix but they made a huge batch and it sat out during normal breakfast hours. I would go to the dinner at the tail end of breakfast, so the batter was probably many hours old.
Through all my trials and experimenting, I found that using butter and a cast iron pan over medium to medium-low heat was optimal. I also found that just one hour of rest time at room temperature produced about the same level of “melt in your mouthness” that sitting overnight in the fridge did.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cup + 2 to 3 TBSP (385g) milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (115g) white granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp (3g) fine sea salt
- 2 1/2 tsp (12g) baking powder
- Butter or oil for frying
- Butter and syrup to serve (mandatorily optional)
Instructions
- In a 4-cup measuring jug or medium mixing bowl, whisk all the ingredients until smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and rest for 1 to 2 hours or refrigerate for up to 10 hours.
- When ready to cook, give the batter a very gentle stir before using it.
- Heat a castiron griddle or large skillet over medium heat. . Add oil or melted butter to lightly coat the cooking surface.
- Drop batter in 1/3 cup portions onto the greased cooking surface and spread out with the back of a spoon to make 4-inch circles.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until small bubbles start to pop on and the sides look dry.
- Flip quickly but gently and cook for 1 more minute. Move cooked pancakes to a warm plate and cover with a towel to keep warm. Repeat until all the batter is used. You could also keep them warm in an oven on very low heat.
- Serve immediately with butter and syrup.
Cool leftovers and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or toaster. You could also reheat them in a frying pan over med-high heat.