Here's the secret to the fluffiest and most tender pancakes. You've got to whisk your egg whites, and then gently fold them into the batter. The textural payoff for the little bit of extra work is so worth it. They end up super silky and tender; they're the ultimate Saturday breakfast!
Prep Time: Cook Time: Serves:
20 Minutes 20 hour 12-14 pancakes
Ingredients
200g flour
7g baking powder
3g baking soda
2g kosher salt
30g white sugar
2 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
350ml buttermilk
30g melted salted butter
vanilla extract
Step 1: Make The Batter
You’re gonna need a large bowl for the dry, a medium bowl for the egg whites, and a small bowl for the wet. Into the dry bowl, add 200g of all purpose flour, 7g baking powder, 3g baking soda, 2g of salt, and 30g of sugar. If you use unsalted butter, add use 3g of salt instead of 2g. Give that a mix and set it aside so you can work on the wet batter. To a small bowl, measure out 350g of buttermilk and add a splash of vanilla extract. Crack the eggs and separate the yolks into the buttermilk, and place the whites into the medium bowl. Now for the whipping portion. Using a whisk, whisk these until they form almost stiff peaks. It’s important that these are only the whites, any fat from the yolks or buttermilk will impede foam production. Once solidly whipped, you can add your buttermilk mix into your dry mix and begin gently folding the two together. A good rule of thumb for any pancake is to make not to overwork them. Melt 30g of butter and add that into the bowl as well. You can now gently fold the egg whites into the mixed batter just until it barely comes together. You should have a ton of air still left, and there will be some lumps as well. This is a good thing for the rising process.
Step 2: Rest The Batter
Let the batter sit for around 15 minutes so the baking soda and buttermilk have a chance to make some nice bubbles. The more bubbles you’ve got before these go into the pan, the fluffier these will end up. This also gives any lumps some time to work themselves out. This is the perfect time to make some bacon and coffee and then return to the well rested batter.
Step 3: Cooking The Pancakes
Begin heating a skillet or cast iron over medium and drop a little bit of butter in. It shouldn’t be aggressively browned, but it should gently bubble when it hits the pan. Turn the heat slightly down to medium low and ladle in your batter. If you don’t like the crispy buttery edges, you could use a little cooking oil and then wipe it out; my wife prefers that but I like the buttery edges. They look prettier with oil, but taste better with butter in my opinion. Once you start to see bubbles at the top of the batter, it’s time to flip. Cook these for another few minutes until the batter is set. I think these are best eaten immediately after they come out of the pan, mostly because similar to a soufflé, the bubbles can start to collapse. There’s not enough gluten in the pancakes to hold large bubbles for long, but that’s a good thing. Who wants cold pancakes anyways. Mk always has me make these with chocolate chips, but I think these work better with blueberries. The choice is totally up to you. Cheers!
