Easy, Light, And Fluffy Pancakes

1. Whisk flour and baking powder (I sift ’em together, but if you don’t
have a sifter, no problem). 2. Whisk egg, oil, and milk together, then wisk
boiling water in (it seems to mix better in this order). 3. Stirring
liquid, slowly whisk in flour and baking powder mix. Don’t over whisk, as
this’ll toughen the pancakes. A few lumps are okay. Slowly adding flour and
baking power mix makes this step a bit easier. Let stand for 10 minutes at
room temperature. 4. Pour on a hot griddle (see below on determining
temp.). I use about 1.5 spoonfuls of a large serving spoon and use the
back of the spoon to spread out the mixture a bit so its not so thick
that they don’t cook through. Turn when most of the back has gone from
glossy to flat (the bottom will be turned dark). Using the corner of the
turner, knock several holes in the pancakes. Done when bottom is turning
dark. Only turn once. 5. Stack for a minute or two when done so the tops
warm so butter will melt. If you stack too long, they’ll get soggy.
Understanding: – If the liquid is at room temperature, they will rise
more. The boiling water mentioned above with milk and egg from the frig
will do this fine. – After mixing liquid and powder, letting them sit for
10 minutes and no more mixing allows it rise a bit (you’ll see it rise a
bit and bubbles form). Figured this out from RAGBRAI (see below) too. –
The water/milk as opposed to all milk ingredients helps make ’em light and
fluffy too (got this from Usenet’s rec.food.cooking). Determining correct
griddle temperature (figured out from RAGBRAI, an annual bike ride across
Iowa that appears to be the largest in the world; pancakes are a breakfast
stable): – On my stove, medium high does fine. – Make sure water sizzles
on it and small drops evaporate in just a few seconds. – The pancakes
should get quite brown (actually close to black) when on the griddle for
just a few minutes (2 or 3?) and the edges on the top should thicken. A few
bubbles should form on the middle of the top. – I cooked ’em at too low a
temperature for years and a hot griddle really helps I’ve found; don’t
worry if you incinerate a few in the process of figuring out the correct
setting on your stove. After all, that’s what kitchen trash cans are for.
Note on batter thickness: – The batter should, well, be not too thick or
thin. I judge this by how it pours on the griddle; I find I need to spread
the batter around a bit w/ the back of a spoon. If too thin, next time add
a tablespoon or two of flour. Note that I call for somewhat packed flour
above as this seems to give me the correct amount of flour for proper
consistency (flour can be compacted to some degree). If you find this
useful, I’d appreciate a note. After all, it took a bit of time to type all
this in. Bill Goffe bgoffe@whale.st.usm.edu