The Secret to the Fluffiest Pancakes Ever!

As Mommy to kids who simply adore pancakes, I am pleased to announce that I think I have stumbled upon the secret ingredient that will create the fluffiest pancakes ever!  It happened last week when I decided to try this recipe from a dear friend of mine.  Her recipe is suitable for kids who are allergic to egg whites, but since my kids aren’t, I used one whole egg, instead of just the yolk.

Now, the secret ingredient I was telling you about is white vinegar.  I’ve never used white vinegar in my pancakes before, and the bottle of white vinegar in my kitchen (thus far) has only been reserved for making char siew.  But nevertheless, my friend’s pancake recipe called for it, so I added it in too.

And I could just tell they were gonna be delicious and fluffy!!  Even as I was flipping the pancakes, they felt lighter, fluffier and yummier!  And indeed they were!

Apparently, vinegar reacts with baking soda to create little oxygen bubbles (errr…need to dig out my chemistry book for the exact equation, but it could be something to do with acid and alkaline, because I know that vinegar is an acid and baking soda is an alkaline).   Anyway, the resulting oxygen bubbles will then make extra-fluffy pancakes!  Drizzle with some sweet maple syrup for that absolutely delicious and indulgent treat!

If you haven’t tried this, it’s high time you do!  🙂

Here’s the recipe I used to make the Fluffiest Pancakes Ever!  If you are allergic to egg whites, simply replace the whole egg with only the yolk.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg (or 1 egg yolk, if allergic to egg whites)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• cooking spray or some cooking oil

Method

1. Combine flour with white vinegar and milk, mix it well, then add the rest of the ingredients.
2. Whisk until all lumps are gone.
3. Let pancake batter stand for 10 minutes. (I added this step myself, because I find that pancakes do taste better if the batter is left to stand for a few minutes before frying the pancakes)
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray or drizzle with a little oil.
5. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface.
6. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
7. Serve with maple syrup!