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Classic Fluffy Pancakes

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Classic fluffy pancakes are everyone’s favourite, especially as a weekend breakfast or brunch. These American- style pancakes have wonderful, light and fluffy texture and can be served with your favourite toppings!

side close up of a stack of 5 fluffy pancakes

Hey, hello, hi! How was your week?

Mine wasn’t too bad, I’ve learned how to, and baked my first sourdough bread from scratch! Yay! But more on that soon…

As January is slowly coming to an end (finally!), I cannot help but feel much more upbeat and awake. Also, seeing few snowdrops here and there tells me that spring (although it still feels a bit distant) is on its way! And that my friends, makes me very happy!

overhead shot of a plate with pancakes and selection of fruits

Classic fluffy pancakes- timeless recipe everyone needs

With Pancake Day around the corner (25th of Feb), I thought I would share this classic recipe with you today for timeless, American- style pancakes. Yes, it’s probably true that the internet doesn’t really need another pancake recipe, but this would be THE ONLY recipe you will ever need.

It’s super easy, foolproof, and works every time. No complicated ingredients or equipment, and less than 20 minutes to make. I’ve been using this recipe for many years, and it’s our favourite, especially for weekend breakfast or brunch.

side close up of maple syrup being poured over pancakes

What’s so great about these pancakes?

  • Super light, fluffy and airy texture
  • They are made with only 7 simple ingredients
  • It takes less than 20 minutes to make them!
  • Recipe can be easily adapted and modified, for example you can add your favourite fruits/ berries or nuts to the batter
  • It works every time!

Ingredients to make these pancakes

As mentioned above, the basic recipe is made with only 7 ingredients. Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, egg and butter. I bet you have all of these in your kitchen cupboard already, if so, you are good to go!

Quick word about the flour. In this recipe, I’m using the self-rising flour, which already has some rising agent added to it. If you don’t have an access to the self-rising flour, you can easily make your own. Simply mix one cup of plain flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

You can also use plain, all-purpose flour in this recipe. The pancakes may not be as fluffy as you see on the photos here, but will still have lovely rise and texture.

top view of the bowls with ingredients for fluffy pancakes

Fluffy pancakes- the method

I honestly don’t think I need to explain in detail how to make the pancake batter, but there are just a couple of things to remember.

First and most important thing: make sure you use a good quality, non-stick frying pan. There are special pancakes pans out there, which are often thinner than regular frying pans so they conduct heat much quicker and more efficiently. You don’t need a special pancake pan, but the one with non-stick coating is a must, in my opinion.

Start preparing your batter by sifting the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mix together milk, egg and melted butter (olive oil can also be used). Then transfer the milk mixture into the bowl with flour mix and using fork, combine all together until you have smooth, thick batter.

Second tip to ensure the success: make sure your pan is hot before you pour the batter onto it. Heat the pan over a medium heat and brush it gently with melted butter or olive oil, then pour your batter. To ensure the even size and equal shape of your pancakes, you can use ice cream or cookie scoop to measure the batter and pancake ring for perfectly round pancakes.

side shot of a bowl with pancake batter

Once you start seeing little bubbles forming on the surface of your pancake, it’s time to flip it over on the other side. When both sides are golden brown in colour, your pancake is ready!

What to serve the pancakes with?

The possibilities are literally endless! I like to serve mine with a drizzle of good quality maple syrup, a dollop of Greek yogurt and some fresh fruit. But you can use any toppings that you find suitable and you like. Nuts, honey, chocolate spread, jam, whipped cream, berries…. anything goes!

top view of a plate with pancakes and a slice of pancake on the fork

If you enjoyed today’s recipe, you may want to check out my other pancake recipes:

Thanks for tuning in this week and reading today’s post. As always, feel free to leave me a comment and/ or a rating below! I would love to hear from you!

Don’t forget that you can also follow me on my social channels: Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

overhead shot of a plate with pancakes and maple syrup on side
maple syrup being poured over fluffy pancakes
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5 from 11 votes

Classic Fluffy Pancakes

Foolproof recipe for timeless, classic fluffy pancakes. Everyone's favourite weekend breakfast & brunch!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword american pancakes, fluffy pancakes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 pancakes
Author Anna Wierzbinska
Cost £3.50

Equipment

  • Non- stick frying pan

Ingredients

  • 135 g self-rising flour (see notes for the alternatives)
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 130 ml milk of choice
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus extra 1- 2 tbsp of butter for frying)

Instructions

  • Sieve the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
  • In a separate, medium bowl, mix together milk, egg and melted butter.
  • Add milk mixture to the flour mix and using a fork, combine all of the ingredients until you have smooth, thick batter with no lumps remaining.
  • Heat the non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp of butter. Once the butter melted, pour a ladle of pancake batter into it. Once the bubbles start to appear on top of your pancake, it is ready to be flipped over. Cook until both sides are golden brown, serve with maple syrup and your favourite toppings.

Notes

  • You can use plain, all purpose flour instead of self- rising flour. The pancakes may be not as fluffy as the ones on the picture, but they will still be fluffy! 
  • Butter can be swapped for olive oil 
  • To ensure the even size of the pancakes you can use an ice- cream or cookie scoop
  • To ensure the even shape of the pancakes you can use pancake ring
  • The quantity of the pancakes may vary, depending on how big is your measuring spoon/ scoop

 

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Paige

    5 stars
    These pancakes look amazing and I love how creative you are with the fruit garnishes! YUM! I’m a major fan of pancakes, so I’ll give this a try

    Reply

  5. Danielle

    5 stars
    I would eat these pancakes every day all day! Great texture, fantastic size and just perfect add-ons. Can’t wait to make these over the weekend and enjoy them like it’s nobody’s business! 🙂

    Reply

  7. Marisa F. Stewart

    5 stars
    I tried out these classic pancakes for breakfast this morning, and they were so light and fluffy I couldn’t believe it. They soaked up my maple syrup without becoming soggy. I’ll be making them more often.

    Reply

  10. Natalie

    5 stars
    Wow these pancakes look really REALLY fluffy. And so delicious. I must give this recipe a try. Never used self-rising flour to make pancakes before. Sounds like great idea to get the butter to fluff! Thanks!

    Reply

    • annabanana

      Hi Natalie, thanks so much for kind words! You can stick to AP flour, they will still be fluffy, bu SR flour takes the fluffiness to the next level! Hope you will enjoy them!

      Reply

  11. Jo

    5 stars
    Those are the fluffiest pancakes I’ve seen fara very long time. I looks absolutely perfect and delicious! My kids would love this without a doubt!

    Reply

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