The BEST Fluffy Pancakes From Scratch

I'm always baffled to learn why some people don't make their own pancakes from scratch. I think people have this misconception that making pancakes from scratch involves a complicated recipe with a cooking process that will turn your kitchen into a nightmare. This couldn't be further from the truth! In fact, it's the exact opposite. My pancake recipe is so simple and so easy to make, and best of all, my recipe requires ingredients that most people already have in their pantry and refrigerator.

5 Cooking Tips For Making Delicious Fluffy Pancakes

1. Cook in cast iron. I use a cast iron griddle, but any cast iron pan would work just the same. There are several benefits of cooking in cast iron. First and foremost, it is thick and retains heat for consistent cooking. For this reason, you achieve better caramelization or Maillard reaction, as cast iron pulls sugar out of foods and caramelizes them more so than any other pan that you can buy, which is key to making delicious pancakes. You also get more pan spring when you flip pancakes in cast iron as opposed to a thin cheap pan. Cast iron won't warp on you and you can literally pass your pans down from generation to generation. Lastly, cooking in cast iron can add significant amounts of iron to your food and into your body, thus an easy way to boost your iron intake.
2. Use a long metal spatula. I like using this because it's thin and flexible enough that you can slide it underneath a big pancake, lift it up and flip it with ease. Try to avoid using cheap plastic spatulas, as these are not meant to withstand heat and not flexible enough to get in between the pan and pancake to insure a clean flip.
3. It is important to sift your dry ingredients when making pancakes. Sifting obviously removes any clumps, but is also helps combine certain ingredients together like flour and cinnamon. Sifting also helps distribute the leavening agents such as baking soda and powder. Most importantly, it aerates the dry ingredients making it lighter and fluffier, almost analogous to whipping cream, whereas a cup of cream has considerably less volume than the same cup of cream that has been whipped.
4. Do not over-mix the batter. The more you mix the batter the more you are developing the gluten, which will result in rubbery pancakes. Instead, your pancakes should be light, fluffy and fork tender, and the key to this is to not over-mix!
5. Use maple syrup because it's a pure natural product that is delicious. Although maple syrup costs more than the cheap stuff, it is worth it because you deserve it.