I'm looking for perfect recipe for pancakes

[cosmopolita]

I am Italian and I'm looking for a recipe for pancakes. I don't know if it is correct to use baking powder, if is necessary to use only eggs white or another secret.
There is the perfect recipe?
Thank you.

[smaki]

These are the perfect pancakes. Amazingly fluffy and thick. Impress yourself and guests. Not thin and silky like French crêpes. The protein(s) make these pancakes a meal.

TIPs:
1. Separate eggs to whip whites to stiff peaks before fold in for more fluff.
2. For extra flavor add topping(s) to wet top before flip then cook in.
3. Add a good flavored oil or fat in pan between pancakes to be non-stick and help brown. A little butter & olive oil, coconut oil, or saved bacon fat works.
4. Make sure pan is hot before add batter (just below smoke point of oil used).

INGREDIENTS:
• 3 large eggs
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 140ml/5fl oz milk
• a good pinch of salt
• optional pinch of fresh ground black pepper
• 115g/4oz plain flour by weight. NOTE: 1 cup of sifted flour is 115 grams = 4 ounces. 1 cup of unsifted flour is 145 grams = 5 ounces. For unsifted flour, measure 0.8 cups.

DIRECTIONS:
First separate the eggs. Put the whites into a big bowl. And the yolks into another. To yolks add flour, baking powder, and milk then mix into a smooth thick batter. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks (bring on a power mixer if yours has a whisk or do by hand). Gently fold whipped whites into the batter. Do not over-mix or will deflate eggs. Your batter is ready!

Pre-heat a non-stick pan to medium heat. I use a well-seasoned cast iron frying pan. Pour or spoon batter into pan and fry a couple of minutes until first side browns. Sprinkle on filling for flavored pancakes, see ideas below for extra goodies on the uncooked side. Loosen with a spatula then flip. Continue frying until both sides are golden brown. Make pancakes large or small, however you like.

Good topped with maple syrup. To dress whipped cream. Maybe a sprinkle of powdered white sugar. Yummy plain with butter or filled as desire.

OPTIONAL FILLINGS (mix and match to taste cook inside or on top):

• corn cut off cob fresh kernels (put on raw before flip to cook in)
• bacon bits
• ham and / or cheese cubes about 1/4" square
• beef (extra med-rare cooked steak is great cubed)
• blueberries
• blackberries
• strawberries cut or cooked down with sugar
• raspberries
• banana
• apples caramelized in cinnamon and sugar
• pineapple (try 1 can caramelized with a habanero)
• chocolate little chunks, cubes, or grated

COMBINATIONS. Go wild. I recommend for a sweet treat or a meal:

• sweet: strawberries, blueberries, & banana inside top w/ jam then whip cream
• sweet: berry with chocolate top w/ whip cream, chocolate syrup, & powdered sugar
• meal: fresh-corn-off-cob kernels and bacon bits top w/ grated Pecorino
• meal: Ham and cheese inside (Cheddar, Swiss, ) top w/ optional salsa
• meal: steak top w/ sunny-side-up fried runny-yolk soft-egg w/ optional steak sauce

Whatever the pancake they are good with butter on top when hot out of the pan. Always consider real maple syrup. Great plain. Some combinations tasty topped with any favorite(s) including: any good jam, whip cream, powdered sugar, coconut shreds, bacon bits, homemade ketchup, salsa.

Surprisingly thick and fluffy pancakes. A showy recipe for fresh eggs when not craving an omelet. Or crêpes.

[kazhound]

these are hands down the best pancakes I've ever had:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fluffy-p...

I've always loved a recipe called the Sensible Pancake, which I have been making since I was a kid. They've got wheat germ in them and really are great. But since I've had these pancakes, I haven't wanted to go back in a while.

[calumin]

I did a test a few years ago and decided the Martha Stewart recipe was the best.

http://www.marthastewart.com/318689/b...

I mix the dry ingredients beforehand and keep it as a dry mix, then add the wet ingredients when I make them.

[Kemal]

Try my recipe, I know that it will work ! http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8926...

[HillJ]

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/...

We gave these pancakes a go this morning, delicious and light!
Great use for soy/almond milk too.

[paulj]

It is worth keeping mind that several things can be called pancakes
- crepes, which just have flour, eggs, water/milk, flavoring, and are cooked very thin
- 'german pancakes' - similar batter, but maked in an oven, so it puffs up
- yeast pancakes - a thin yeast or sourdough sponge batter with eggs
- American baking soda/powder pancakes

The basics of the American ones are
flour, eggs, liquid (milk, cultured milk, water), salt, sugar, liquid fat, baking soda or powder

For the flour you want something similar to that used for cakes, i.e. low gluten/protein because you are not kneading the batter. But you can also used some whole grain flour or other grains to taste.

Rough proportions are 2c flour, 2 eggs, 2 c liquid, Liquid can be added to adjust the thickness of the cakes. More liquid, thinner.

Standard issues regarding baking powder and soda apply. If there is acid in batter (cultured milk products) then baking soda is fine, other wise you need baking powder.

Melted butter is the common American fat. More butter for richer taste. But one of my favorite recipes, from Spanish chef, Jose Andres, uses olive oil.

Other things may be added to the batter, such as berries, other fruit, nuts. The Andres recipe adds chopped chocolate - reflecting the Spanish pairing of chocolate and olive oil.

Separating the eggs, and whipping the whites produce lighter, fluffier pancakes. Yeast ones also tend to be fluffier. But some people prefer a pancake that is thinner and a bit chewy. In a sense pancakes can be anything from thin crepes to thick cake like disks. Also waffles, including those popular in Belgium, use a similar batter, though it tends to be richer in the fat (to produce the crisp crust).

[oakjoan]

I just posted a thread about the sourdough pancakes I've made from my homemade sourdough starter from Nancy Silverton's recipe. Fantastically great.

[cosmopolita]

Thank you. But can I use indistinctly pastry flour or all purpouse flour? Because in Italy we have a different name: flour 0 (for pizza and is less thin), flour 00 (for cake).

[Joebob]

An American (not English) cup is a little less than 1/4 liter.

[lookingforlucy]

I use all purpose flour for all my recipes it seems to work fine. I'm not sure about the pastry flour, but you should give it a try and let us know how it worked. Pancakes might even turn out better with pastry flour. I love to experiment when I bake or cook.

[lookingforlucy]

I have played around with a lot of recipes for pancakes and was disappointed. After lots of experimenting I created a recipe that makes awesome pancakes. Also, it doesn't include eggs. Which is good because I'm always out of eggs. I included my recipe on my blog here is the link:

http://lookingforlucy.com/2009/07/loo...

That is awesome you are Italian. I wish I was Italian. I make and eat more Italian food than any other food. I cannot go without my Italian dishes!

[PegS]

Thanks! I was skeptical about the lack of eggs, but I made these last night (pancakes as dessert!) and both I and my husband were quite pleased. Great to have a recipe that's so easy when one has a craving.

[lookingforlucy]

I'm so glad you were pleased with the recipe! I love pancakes and I like to be able to have a recipe that can fix my sweet tooth fast. I can be quite impatient when it comes to wanting something sweet. I make them all the time for dessert. More and more people are finding they have an allergy to eggs and it is hard to find recipes for certain things that do not call for eggs.

[Chocolatechipkt]

I like the Joy of Cooking pancake recipe too, but this one is my current favorite: http://areyouhungryyet.blogspot.com/2...

[General Knowledge]

I recently tried Bobby Flay's recipe for Blueberry Pancakes (long link below) and they were delicious. Some of the reviewers said they made them without the blueberries and his toppings and they were great. It's probably similar to the Joy of Cooking recipe discussed above - has baking powder and baking soda, and you whip the egg whites separately and fold them in. Very light and tasty.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bo...

[cosmopolita]

I have a question on your units of measurement. We use the gram so I would like to know how many grams are there in a cup.

[sheilal]

Based on the conversion calculator I found at: http://www.onlineconversion.com/weigh...

1 cup [US] = 99.36705933 grams

[todao]

You will find that converting flour from cups to grams will depend greatly on the type of flour you're using. Generally speaking, all purpose flour will be about 185 grams per cup, bread flour about 120 grams per cup and cake flour about 135 grams per cup. Like everything else, it will depend on whose conversion method your working with and whether a cup weighs 99 grams or 185 grams depends on what you're working with. A cup of water does not weigh the same as a cup of flour.

You might want to try :

85 grams all purpose flour
42 grams whole wheat flour
12 grams granulated sugar
11 grams baking powder
5 grams salt
158 ml whole milk
15 ml melted butter
1 large egg
1 tsp water
1/2 tsp white wine (sweet white wine works best)

Separate egg yolk from white.
Mix together all dry ingredients
Combine milk and melted butter, then whisk in the milk.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk just until well combined (mixture will be slightly lumpy)
Beat the egg white until it holds soft peaks
Add the water and wine to the egg yolk and whip until thick and foamy
Fold the egg white and yolk into the prepared batter until evenly distributed
Ladle batter onto lightly oiled hot griddle
Watch for bubble to form on top and wait for the greater quantity of the bubbles to break and the edges of the pancake to begin to appear dry
Turn gently (don't life and drop) to finish other side.

[jeniyo]

that's how we make our pancakes! the key is to whip those whites. and use a good baking powder. you guys said it all!

we like to add corn or blueberries in mine. yum!

[sheilal]

Here's a recent recipe I stumbled upon at The Pioneer Women's website. It's fabulous! The addition of vanilla is genius.

PW’s Perfect Pancakes
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons butter

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined.
Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.
Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Serve with an obscene amount of butter and warm syrup.

[HillJ]

I made these PW pancakes and sub'd lemon extract for the vanilla and tossed in a generous handful of lemon zest. Then I smeared lemon curd between two pancakes and served with fresh raspberries. Heaven on a plate! PW's recipe is outstanding and consistent.

[rockfish42]

Marion Cunningham's Buttermilk Pancakes are my gold standard
http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/20...

[goodgirl]

The Joy of Cooking has an excellent buttermilk pancake recipe. It does call for baking powder. A trick of my mother's was to whip egg whites as if for meringue and fold it into the pancake batter.

[cosmopolita]

Thank you.
But I know only Joy of baking. What is Joy of Cooking?

[foodlvrzen]

one of the most popular American cookbooks, almost anyone who cooks has seen, touched, religiously used or referenced this 'general' all purpose cookbook; it's cooking 101.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joy_...
just saw the joyofbaking.com; never knew about it before, thank you, love new info

recipe websites I have used have 'one stop shopping', like epicurious;

here is a really simple classic from my aunt, sometimes called "Christmas pancake", "German pancake" or a crepe-like treat; I always make two at the least, just double the recipe, and organic everything, tastes better;

1/2 cup milk (sometimes use soymilk)
1/2 cup flour (various types but start with white)
2 eggs

Mix
Melt 1/2 cup butter in pan (orig. old country calls for 1 cup butter, but found it to be too much)
Pour in pan; big flat skillets are best; cover pan handles with aluminum foil to help protect
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes
Remove, sprinkle with lemon juice (alot :-), nutmeg (a little, strong spice for this), confectioner's sugar (alot :-)
Bake 10 minutes more
Serve as is or with side of warmed fruit spread, jam, jelly