Get our foolproof recipe for classic American pancakes. Light, fluffy and all around delicious. Breakfast can’t come soon enough!
Or if you are in the mood for something different, try out Buckwheat pancake recipe, which also happens to be 100% gluten-free.
Most of us grow up with a pancake recipe our mother made throughout our childhood. And that recipe triggers the most intense nostalgia. I was lucky because I had two! These thick and fluffy pancakes made with the help of kefir. And thin and lacey pancakes aka Russian blini, which are still my favourite.
My husband grew up on the other side of the world, and his handwritten recipe for pancakes has been attached to our refrigerator by a fridge magnet for most of our marriage.
They are called Bradley’s Pancakes. It’s the recipe, which gets made on most weekends. They are a part of out breakfast ritual. And every family member, including our kids, has mastered it. It’s really easy and it’s ridiculously tasty.
American Style Pancakes
Unlike British pancakes, which are thin and pliable, American and Canadian pancakes are thick, fluffy and come in a stack! Okay, the latter is only a joke but you get the point.
They are almost always enjoyed with maple syrup, fresh berries, and whipped cream if you are lucky! Many people buy a pre-made mix, which only requires eggs and milk to be added. However, homemade pancakes, made from scratch, are just as easy and infinitely more delicious.
What makes American style pancakes so fluffy is the use of a rising agent. In my family, we add baking powder to make them grow!
Oil or melted butter are also added to the batter for a richer, more decadent pancake.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Use plain flour instead of self-rising and add baking powder for the thicker, fluffier pancakes.
- Enrich your batter with melted butter to improve flavour and texture of the pancakes.
- You can substitute white flour with whole wheat or spelt flour if you wish.
- If you want perfectly round pancakes, pour a ladleful of batter in the center of a hot pan and let it run outward without moving the pan.
- Flip only when the edges of pancakes are dry and most of the bubbles have popped. (See the image above for reference.)
- This is a basic recipe, to which you could add a number of ingredients to make it your own. Chocolate chips, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries will take it to the next level of yum!
Serving Suggestions
As I mentioned earlier, these pancakes are usually eaten topped with butter and maple syrup. However, you can also use honey, any fruit jam of your choice, chocolate syrup or even caramel sauce.
Whipped cream and fresh berries are also a must for a full American pancake breakfast experience.
More Adventurous Pancake Recipes to Try:
- Oatmeal Pancakes
- Russian Sweet Cheese Pancakes ‘Syrniki’
- Blueberry and Limoncello Cheese Crepes Blintzes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs large
- 500ml/2/ ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 315g/2 ¼ cups plain white flour or whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 50g/1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla. Add half of the flour mixture and mix well to combine, then add the rest of the flour, salt, sugar and the baking powder. Mix well until no lumps remain.
- Melt the butter in a microwave and drizzle over the batter, mix to combine. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tsp of oil, use paper towel or a brush to spread it evenly on the pan. Pour a ladleful of the pancake batter in the centre of the frying pan and let it spread outward to form a round pancake. Cook until the edges are dry and most bubbles on the surface of the pancakes poppes for approximately 3 minutes, then flip and cook for a couple of minutes longer. Repeat all all batter is gone. (Add more oil to the pan between every 2nd or 3rd pancake.)
