BEST Paleo Pancakes Recipe, soft, light and fluffy!! (2024)

FAQs

What makes pancakes light instead of dense? ›

Too much egg, however, will make the pancake dense and custard-like; not enough will make it drier and more biscuit-like. Baking powder and baking soda are the chemical leaveners typically used in pancakes. They are responsible for the bubbles in the batter, and for making the cakes light and fluffy.

The secret to creating IHOP's cloudlike fluffiness in its pancakes is the dual action of baking soda and baking powder.

Pancakes and waffles typically both contain baking soda, which causes them to rise. As soon as the baking soda is combined with the wet ingredients (which contain an acidic ingredient, like often buttermilk), it starts producing carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause the batter to rise.

The secret to fluffy restaurant style pancakes? Buttermilk! The acid in the buttermilk reacts to the leavening agents in the pancake batter, creating air bubbles that make the pancakes tall and fluffy. It's a simple switch that makes all the difference.

Don't be tempted to add more than the recipe suggests, as too much baking powder will make pancakes taste soapy. Alternatively, you could use self-raising flour, which will add to the amount of raising agent in the recipe and potentially make your pancakes fluffier.

Don't let the griddle or skillet get too hot! This will cause the pancakes to burn before they're cooked through. Don't add the butter or shortening until after the griddle or skillet has been preheated. Don't go overboard with butter or shortening.

Heating Your Hotcakes Adds to the Fluff

In addition to bubbles forming in the mixing stage, your pancakes also become airy when they hit the skillet and begin to cook. That's why cooking your pancakes in the microwave or on a baking sheet likely won't give you the same results.

Using extra virgin olive oil in place of the melted butter in this recipe adds moisture in addition to flavor, resulting in a light and fluffy pancake that's perfectly tender and moist, not dry or doughy in the least.

Restaurants use better quality ingredients

Restaurants tend to use real, farm-fresh eggs and real milk when making their pancakes, which as you might guess, adds to a richer, higher-quality eating experience.

While your first thought might be to pop them in the microwave, it's not the best method. Instead, you can keep pancakes warm by placing them on a baking sheet or oven-safe platter in a 200-degree oven until you're ready to serve. This temperature will keep the pancakes warm without continuing to cook them too much.

Why are Denny's pancakes so fluffy? ›

Have you ever wondered why Denny's pancakes are so much more delicious than ordinary pancakes? The secret is buttermilk. Indeed, buttermilk not only makes pancakes more moist and fluffier, it also gives a tinge of tang not found in usual milk.

The secret is in the egg whites!

To give your pancakes that fluffy text, beat only the egg whites for 3 minutes on medium speed. They'll start turning creamy, which means it's time to add them to the pancake mixture. Use a wooden spatula to incorporate everything. There you have it!

The combination of homemade buttermilk (milk and vinegar) and two leaveners (baking powder and baking soda) create lots of air bubbles in the pancake batter, resulting in the lightest and fluffiest pancakes imaginable.

Flat pancakes are nearly always because of expired baking powder, too little baking powder for the recipe size, or too thin of a batter. How to fix flat pancakes: First, test your baking powder by adding a teaspoon of baking powder in a glass and adding a tablespoon of water or two.

You could substitute cake flour for your ordinary flour. It has less protein and makes lighter cakes. Try a different recipe that has both baking powder and baking soda for lots of lift. If your batter has been sitting a while, you can perk it up by stirring in a whipped egg white.

Dense pancakes, this is different than thick and fluffy, happen because the flour was improperly measured and the batter has too much flour. When the pancake batter is too thick without enough baking powder to help it “lift” you will have dense, thick pancakes as the outcome.

Don't overmix the batter.

Over-mixing the batter means that the raising agent won't aerate properly. Pancake batter should be mixed until just combined. Go against your gut instincts and don't worry about a lumpy batter if you want to avoid stodgy pancakes.