How to Make Fluffy Pancakes

With all of us being home for the most part, now is a great time to work on your cooking skills. I've been working on improving my own and honestly it's been fun, and a great use of time. It can be easy to get caught up in eating out with a busier work or school schedule, so this is a great opportunity to take advantage of the kitchen.

You may have seen this on Instagram or in your YouTube recommended or even on TikTok, but there's been a rise in fluffy pancakes (at least there has been for me- but not everyone hopelessly watches cooking videos when they're bored). They're Japanese fluffy pancakes or they're called souffle pancakes- and they are so aesthetically pleasing. They can be about an inch thick and when topped with fruits and warm syrup they're absolutely delicious! I've adapted the recipe to be a bit more fool proof for those of us getting back into the swing of cooking. :)

Ingredients

To make fluffy pancakes, you will need:

1. Pancake mix

2. 2 eggs

3. Sugar

4. Vanilla extract

5. Milk or water

(optional)

6. Your favorite fruit

7. powdered sugar

Prep

1. Set the eggs out until they are room temperature or set the eggs in lukewarm or warm water for five minutes. Be careful not to cook the eggs. I've used four eggs here because I'm making a bit more pancakes for my family!

2. Once the eggs are room temperature, separate the egg whites into a glass or tin bowl. This is to ensure that no oils get into the egg whites. Also be sure that no yolk gets into the egg whites. Just the smallest speck of oil or egg yolk will prevent the egg whites from being whipped. Once the eggs are separated, set the egg whites to the side

3. Add milk or water to your egg yolks, and then add your pancake mix until you have a thick batter, almost like brownie or cake batter. You could even make the batter thicker for fluffier pancakes. If the batter seems too thick, it is because adding the meringue (the whipped egg whites) will thin it out later. Then, set your batter aside.

4. Using a whisk, beat the egg whites while gradually increasing the speed. If using an electric whisk, whisk on high until the eggs reach a frothy appearance.

5. Add four drops of vanilla extract and about 1/3 cup of sugar. Continue whisking on high.

6. Gradually add sugar to the meringue depending on how sweet (or not sweet) you'd like your pancakes! Keep whisking until your meringue reaches "stiff peaks." This is when the meringue holds its shape even when holding the whisk right side up.

7. Now that the meringue is made, add a little of it to the pancake batter to thin it out. Mix it in quickly. I've found that this makes it easier to fold the rest of the meringue into the mix.

8. Carefully fold the meringue into the pancake batter. This is to ensure that the mix still has the consistency of the meringue. This is how we get light, fluffy pancakes.

Cooking the Pancakes

1. Heat your pan to medium to low heat and lightly butter it if you prefer.

2. Using a spoon, lightly scoop the batter from the bowl and into the pan as thick as you'd like. To help it cook better, I place a top on the pan for better cooking.

3. Once the batter starts to cook around the edges, and bubbles appear, flip the pancakes over and cook the other side. They should be a golden brown color.

4. Making sure that the pancakes are cooked all the way through, they should be finished. I personally did not butter my pan because it was nonstick, so I add butter to the pancakes once they are out of the pan.

Toppings

Once your pancakes are finished cooking, you can top it with whatever you like! I love to top mine with blueberries and strawberries, and sometimes even bananas. Then I sprinkle powdered sugar on top, and drizzle warm syrup over it. And then- tadaa! The fluffy pancakes are done.

Tips

1. When separating the eggs, make sure to do it slowly. When making the pancakes, I opened the eggs too fast in one of my first tries and broke the yolk, causing some to get into the egg whites. Then, of course, the egg whites didn't whip.

2. Depending on what pancake mix you use, you can change the recipe slightly to your liking. For example, I used pancake mix that required water or milk, but of course I used the egg yolks (to not waste them) and then a little bit of honey-vanilla almond milk.

3. Use a flatter spoon to fold the meringue into the pancake mix easier, which helps it keep consistency.

While getting back into cooking, I'm seeing that there is a lot of trial and error. If you make a mistake, don't worry. Just keep trying! You're bound to get it right. It took me a few tries just to whip the egg whites so don't be discouraged. As long as it tastes good, I would call that a success!

Keep things sweet!

-xoxo, Sugar Spice