4 Ways: Fluffy American Pancakes

Fluffy American Pancakes 

A winner recipe, easy to follow and that taste amazing! 

When I lived in New York City, the family I lived with used to do pancakes every Saturdays morning. It was the best day of the week! The smell was amazing and they were absolutely delicious. Pamela always added a bunch of blueberries in the batter before cooking the pancakes; an absolute treat! I have brought back that tradition and started cooking pancakes for my family every Saturday morning. It's a lovely treat, everybody love the pancakes and they are easy to do with young children! I like to double the batter; on Monday morning I use it to make a pancake tray before school. It cooks for 25mn in the oven and makes a super quick and tasty breakfast to cheer up the whole family ~ Gaelle

 

Quick links: 

Fluffy Pancakes Recipe
Quick blueberries sauce recipe
Fun Pancakes for kids
Quick & Easy Pancake Tray 
Healthier Pancakes 

      

Ingredients

  • 300g of plain flour
  • 50g of sugar
  • 4 tsp of baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp of baking soda
  • About 440ml of milk (Start with less, add slowly) 
  • A pinch of salt
  • 60g of melted butter
  • 1 tsp of Vanilla beans paste (or 2 tsp of vanilla extract)
  • 2 medium eggs (or one large egg) 
  • Blueberries (Fresh or frozen - Optional) 
  • Cooking with kids? Use gel food to make rainbow pancakes! 

 

Method 

  1. Combine your dry ingredients first: plain flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. Use your hands to make a well in the middle of the mixing bowl and add the eggs. Gently whisp the egg without mixing too much of the flour with it.
  3. Add the butter and whisp gently again.
  4. Add a bit of milk and whisp again, being careful not to touch the flour (some of it will naturally come into contact with the batter and will start mixing )
  5. Add the sugar and a bit ore milk, whisp again. 
  6. Add more milk and start to incorporate more and more flour as you whisp. Going gently at this stage with the flour will avoid lumps, but if you are baking with children, just let them have a go and play and then whisp energetically to get rid of the lumps! Once you have added all the milk, you can start whisping more enthusiastically! 
  7. If using, add blueberries to the batter and mix gently. Equally, you can just add them individually to each pancake, add you batter on the pan and gently press down the blueberries. 
  8. You can bake you pancakes in a pan, I find it easier to use a large baking tray. The same we use for chicken roast and turkey! They are amazing, they don't stick and we can cook about 6-8 pancakes in one go! 
  9. Cook on medium heat, let the pan/tray get hot and use a good chunk of butter to keep the pancakes moist. Add your batter using a large spoon, you can use a second spoon to help you shape the pancake. Let it cook for 2-3min, keep an eye on it, when you can move the pancake gently with a spatula, flip it and cook further.
  10. Serve hot with berries, yogurt, almonds flakes, maple syrup, etc... You can even serve it with Ice Cream for a special treat; be as creative as you'd like! 

 

Quick blueberry sauce recipe

  • Use either frozen or fresh blueberries, cover them in maple syrup and cook it for 5min in a pan.
  • Adjust quantity depending on how many you serve. A handful of bluberries covered in maple syrup should serve 4 people. You won't need too much as it is very rich. 
  • Top up with almonds flakes, or any other nuts and poppy seeds. Serve with natural yogurt. 


Blueberries and maple syrup sauce. 

 

Fun Pancakes for kids

Follow the recipe above. 

Make it even more fun and add some food colorant to make rainbows pancakes. Don't mix the batter too much once you have added the colours, you want to be able to differentiate the colours still. You can do green only for dinosaurs pancakes, pink for princesses, red for Xmas ones, etc... 

When ready to cook, use two teaspons to shape mini pancakes, instead of large ones. They will cook super fast so keep an eye on them! Top them up with yogurt, maple syrup and any berries the children like. Perfect for younger children as they are easier to eat. 


I didn't have time to take a picture of the rainbow ones, but here's what my plate looked like smile 

 

 

Quick & Easy Pancake Tray 

  • Use the same batter (I usually double up the recipe and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days). If you don't want to add blueberries to the batter, you can add jam instead. Gently mix the jam (but not too much) with the batter. You can also use any other berries or fruits; such as bananas and Nutella, chocolate chips, nuts, mixed seeds, etc... It will work just as well! 
  • Use a baking tray, the shape doesn't really matter but choose a size appropriate to the quantity of batter you have, you don't want it to be too thick or it will cook for ages. Recover it with baking paper.
  • Spread the batter evenly and cook in the oven at 180C.
    • If your batter is about 1cm thick or less, cook for 10-15mn to start with.
    • If it's thicker, start with 20-25mn. Use a knife to check if it is cooked in the middle, if it still wet cook for another 5mn and check again.
    • Let it cool for a few minutes before serving. 

 

 

Healthier Pancakes 

  • Replace the plain flour by 50% grounded almonds and 50% porridge oats.
  • Take off the vanilla and sugar. Instead add a spoon of peanut butter (optional), 1-2 tsp of mixed seeds and chia seeds. 
  • You can replace the milk by almond milk if you don't mind the taste of it. 
  • Go easy with the milk and add it slowly until you have the desired texture. It should looks thick and heavy. 
  • The pancakes will cook well, but they will be more fragile than the original recipe so look after them and be gentle when flipping them! 
  • Serve with a banana and maple syrup on it, or natural yogurt.