It’s Shrove Tuesday, or, as I prefer to call it, Pancake Tuesday.

Blueberry Pancakes
blueberry pancakes by Young Sok Yun 윤영석

Now, unfortunately, I didn’t get to make pancakes this morning, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t. I have a failproof, top notch recipe for delicious, light and fluffy pancakes that are excellent receptacles for butter, maple syrup and whatever fruit or toppings you want to put on them.

Fluffy Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional, use the good stuff, vanilla bean if you have it)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1-2 tbsp white sugar (I usually use 1.5)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup of melted butter

Step 1: Heat yo griddle! You want it hot when you’re ready to put the batter on it. Make sure a splash of water dances on the surface. Like, 275-300ºF if you have that kind of control. (yeah, I cook in Fahrenheit and use imperial weights and measures. Suck it, Metric System!).

While the griddle’s heating, put a metal bowl in the freezer. Don’t ask questions!

Step 2: Whisk up the milk and egg yolks. If you don’t know how to separate an egg, watch my helpful youtube video which doesn’t exist. I’m sure there’s one out there somewhere. Add the vanilla if using it, and when it’s cooled a bit (you don’t want to poach your eggs), add the melted butter.

Step 3: Mix the dry ingredients together. I use a (dry) whisk for this. You could use a sifter if you’re from the fifties.

Have a shot of bourbon. You’ve earned it and will need your strength for the next phase. Oh, and you should probably check to make sure your griddle isn’t smoking. Maybe turn that heat down a bit.

Step 4: Combine the milky yolks and the dry ingredients. Mix ’em up, but don’t be too concerned about lumps.

Step 5: Take the metal bowl out of the freezer and add the egg whites to it. WHISK THEM WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT. Really. You can use an egg beater or mixer for this, but I won’t let you. USE YOUR ARM. Whisk them until they form peaks, just short of meringue. I don’t care if it hurts. Shut up. Takes about 4-5 minutes. My record is 3m 47s.

Step 6: Carefully, gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Get it all through the mixture, but don’t break the bubbles. REPEAT: DON’T BREAK THE BUBBLES.

this is harder than I thought. Another shot of bourbon.

Step 7: put a teaspoon of butter onto the griddle. Watch it sizzle. Then ladle out a scoop of batter onto the smokey hot surface. The pancake’s ready for flipping when you start to see the bubbles popping along the edge forming little holes and the side firming up. Not before! I can’t stress this enough. Only flip the flapjack when it’s time.

Step 8: Enjoy.

This recipe adapted and improved upon Bittman’s How to Cook Everything fluffy pancake recipe. He’s got some great variants, and really, you should just own this book.