I’ve always been intrigued by the super-fluffy, almost soufflé-like pancakes that grace my social media pages, and have been on a quest to try to replicate something similar in my home kitchen – albeit in a much simpler fashion.
These fluffy pancakes aren’t quite as complicated to make as some, but the result is a wonderfully light, almost melt-in-your-mouth pancake, perfect for some delicious golden syrup or fresh fruit and cream.
I have used lime juice here for some acidity, but you can use lemon juice if you prefer. You also need a frying pan with a lid – if you don’t have one, just make a temporary one by using a baking tray instead! Heather x
Ingredients
(makes 10 pancakes)
- 4 eggs, separated.
- 4 heaped tbsp caster sugar
- 1tsp lime juice
- 140g plain flour (I used 00 flour)
- 1 level tsp of baking powder
- 120ml milk
- 20g butter, melted
- Pinch salt
Method
- In a large bowl, mix together egg yolks, salt, flour, baking powder, milk and butter until really well combined (no lumps).
- With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they start to get really frothy. Add the lime juice and keep whisking. Gradually pour in the caster sugar while the egg whites are whisking, until all the sugar has been incorporated. Keep whisking until the meringue mixture has soft peaks and more or less holds its shape.
- Carefully begin to fold a third of the egg white mixture into the rest of the ingredients in your bowl. Stir gently to keep as much air as possible. Repeat twice with the remaining two-thirds until all the egg white mixture has been stirred in.
- Heat your frying pan over a medium heat. Spray a little oil on the bottom of the pan and wait for it to start to bubble on the surface. It is worth waiting here until your pan is ready – but it doesn’t want to be so hot it scorches the mixture before cooking the middle. Using a ladle or deep spoon, spoon your pancake mixture into the frying pan. I have a large frying pan, and I made three pancakes at a time: adjust that number to your size pan.
- Add a few drops of water onto the remaining pan surface and pop a lid onto the frying pan. The water will create steam which helps to cook the top while the bottom browns. Wait for at least two minutes.
- Carefully lift the lid and check gently with a spatula that the bottom of the pancakes are not stuck (they will naturally loosen when ready to flip). Before turning the pancakes over, pour a tablespoon of the mixture onto the top of the pancake. Flip over the pancakes, replace the lid and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until both side of the pancake are brown.
- Repeat this process for the remaining pancake mixture. As always with pancakes you can serve straight from the pan, or keep them warm and serve in a stack
