Decades ago, I found this great recipe online and kept it in my recipe book since then. I made it so many times that I remember it by heart. Just for my family or when I have friends coming over for a breakfast or brunch, this recipe goes very well with a nice mug of fresh coffee. See here How to make coffee – The simplest way.

In Brazil, pancakes are likely thin and savoury crepes, often filled with ground meat and covered in tomato sauce, usually served as lunch. When visiting the country, keep in mind they are not the same pancakes at all!

This recipe is the basic, traditional, fluffy North-American breakfast pancake that you can customize by adding the ingredients you like such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts.

What you need

• Bowls
• Cooling rack
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Non-stick frying pan or griddle
• Whisk, scraper and flipper

Plan ahead

• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 30 minutes with a pan or 10 minutes with a griddle
• Portions: 6 to 8 pancakes

Recipe

Ingredients	Qty	Unit	Cups/Spoons	Instructions
All-purpose flour	310	ml	1 1/4 cup	Add the flour to a bowl, the “dry” bowl.
				I prefer to use unbleached flour. Feel free to use the one you have at home.
Sugar	60	ml	1/4 cup	Add to the dry bowl.
Baking powder	7.5	ml	1 1/2 tsp	Add to the dry bowl.
Baking soda	2.5	ml	1/2 tsp	Add to the dry bowl.
Salt	2.5	ml	1/2 tsp	Add to the dry bowl.
				Add up to 1/2 cup of dry ingredients of your taste, like chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts.
				Whisk the dry ingredients and reserve.
Milk	310	ml	1 1/4 cup	Add the milk to another bowl, the “wet” bowl.
Vegetable oil	60	ml	1/4 cup	Add to the wet bowl.
Egg	1	unit		Add to the wet bowl.
Vanilla extract or essence	2.5	ml	1/2 tsp	Add to the wet bowl.
				Whisk the wet ingredients until well combined.
				Pre-heat a non-stick frying pan or a griddle in low heat.
				Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
				With a scraper, combine dry and wet ingredients, slowly, just until you cannot see the dry mixture anymore.
				Do not over mix to get a very smooth dough. The more you mix, the tougher the dough can get!
				Spread a little vegetable oil in the pan or in the griddle.
				Remember: use low heat to prevent the pancakes from burning and give them time to cook fully.
				Pour between 60ml to 75ml – 1/4 to 1/3 cup – of the measure in the pan. A griddle speeds up this process significantly.
				Let it cook until you see bubbles popping from the top.
				With one single movement, slide a flipper under the pancake, then flip it carefully.
				Let it cook on the other side until golden brown. It can take up to 2 minutes, depending on how low the heat is.
				Remove the pancake from the pan and let it cool in a rack. The pancakes can become wet and soggy if put on a plate while hot!
				If you do not have a cooling rack, you can improvise with two or three chopsticks.
				Repeat until all the dough is finished. Use the scrapper to get all the dough out of the bowl.

I love these pancakes with eggs, bacon, ham, butter, fresh fruits, maple syrup or just plain. Leftovers can be easily heated in the toaster. I hope you enjoy these fluffy pancakes made from scratch and see you in the next recipe.