Tips & Techniques
A Genius Trick for Fluffier Buttermilk Pancakes (No Whipping Egg Whites!)
It's Sunday morning and you're out there on the internet again, looking for the fluffiest buttermilk pancakes. A lot of fancy recipes will tell you to separate your eggs, whip the whites, and fold them in gently at the end. This one isn't going to.
It's a move that makes sense—if you were to add more baking powder or soda, up to a point, you'd get more whiz-bang-pow puffiness in return, but also a chemical aftertaste that lays in wait under your maple syrup. I once tried a pancake recipe with a tablespoon of baking soda. It was super fluffy, and tasted like the inside of a locker.
This is why smart recipe developers have you add in a mechanical leavener instead of more chemical ones. That is: you, with your hands and your egg beaters, manually frothing up airy egg whites and carefully trapping them in your pancakes.
But I've often found that when I commit to whipping egg whites, they'll start strong, but by the end of a big batch of batter, they've deflated like a melted milkshake. Melted milkshakes do not make fluffy pancakes.
So you better believe I was intrigued when Food52 contributor Ali Stafford sent me this recipe for Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes, made famous on the Kitchn by longtime contributor Dana Velden. It promises fluff—but to get it, you stir in the egg whites at the very end. No whipping.
"My theory is that the original maker of this recipe was supposed to beat the egg white but either forgot or decided to skip the step. And, to be honest, laziness was the reason I thought I would try it, too," Dana, who's been making this recipe for over 15 years, told me. "I was more than willing to not beat egg whites at 7am."
I wanted to know what the Food Lab's J. Kenji López-Alt thought about this whipless egg white revelation, and he set me straight. "Have you actually tried side-by-side mixing the white in at the end vs. just mixing it in with the other ingredients to confirm whether it really ends up making the pancakes lighter or not?"
No, Kenji, because I'm not you! This time, I didn't cook the recipe to and fro. I just kept making pancakes and liking them. Is that so wrong?
Well, yes. So I tested and re-tested these in a few side-by-side-by-side sessions, adding in egg white at various stages: a. along with the yolk and the other wet ingredients (as nature intended), b. at the end (as this recipe intended), and c. whipped up to stiff peaks, folded in at the end (as many recipe developers intend).
I hoped that the Kitchn's lazy, lofty method would make noticeably fluffier and better pancakes than doing nothing. Otherwise, why should I tell you to separate an egg? In my wildest dreams, it would also dethrone whipped egg whites. Here's what I learned:
- Following this recipe, each of these egg white moments makes very good pancakes. They're tangy and pudgy and delicious, and have just a skosh more butter in them than other buttermilk pancakes out there. (Actually there's easily double the typical amount of butter—so ... just put less on top.)
- You want extra fluffy-good pancakes? Buy thick, local whole-milk buttermilk when you see it. You often won't have a choice, but when you do, take it.
- Whichever kind of buttermilk you use, thick or thin, stirring in the egg white at the end does give a noticeable puff and bounce to the cakes.
- In this case, whipping the egg whites did not make the pancakes any fluffier.
To understand what that relaxed egg white was up to, I turned next to Rose Levy Beranbaum, the author of the Baking Bible, and many more cake and pie bibles. "Adding the white at the end gives more support—this is a technique used in soufflés—adding a little of the white unwhipped at the end so that the soufflé doesn't deflate as quickly," she wrote back. "Whipping egg whites to soft or stiff peaks adds more air but also as the egg white cells enlarge, the membrane gets thinner and thinner and is more fragile."
So not only does a little egg white au naturel puff up the pancakes, it will do so consistently, from the beginning of the batter to the end.
Sunday morning, we have our fluffy, lazy buttermilk pancakes. And they don't even taste like a locker.
| 2 1/2 | cups flour (Editor's note: in testing, we used 300 grams unbleached all-purpose flour) |
| 2 | tablespoons sugar |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons fine salt |
| 1 | teaspoon baking powder |
| 1 | teaspoon baking soda |
| 2 | large eggs, separated |
| 2 | cups buttermilk (for extra, extra fluffy pancakes, seek out thick, whole milk buttermilk) |
| 1/2 | cup whole milk |
| 10 | tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled |
| 1 | tablespoon Canola or refined peanut oil for frying |
| 2 1/2 | cups flour (Editor's note: in testing, we used 300 grams unbleached all-purpose flour) |
| 2 | tablespoons sugar |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons fine salt |
| 1 | teaspoon baking powder |
| 1 | teaspoon baking soda |
| 2 | large eggs, separated |
| 2 | cups buttermilk (for extra, extra fluffy pancakes, seek out thick, whole milk buttermilk) |
| 1/2 | cup whole milk |
| 10 | tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled |
| 1 | tablespoon Canola or refined peanut oil for frying |
Got a genius recipe to share—from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at genius@food52.com. Thanks to Food52 contributor Ali Stafford for this one!
Photos 8 and 9 (the obsessive ones with the blue tape) by James Ransom, all other photos by Bobbi Lin
From our new podcast network, The Genius Recipe Tapes is lifelong Genius hunter Kristen Miglore’s 10-year-strong column in audio form, featuring all the uncut gems from the weekly column and video series. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss out.
Listen & Subscribe
Written by: Kristen Miglore
Popular on Food52
51 Comments
Some notable examples of this include the widely spread bs that mixing AP flour with cornstarch is a substitute for cake flour (it isn't. Someone made an article where they did a side by side test, and the results were very drastic, you could even tell by appearance) and tempering (completely unnecessary and a waste of time).
To achieve perfection, it also requires precision. Not just in baking but also in cooking as well e.g. making mac and cheese, if you figure out exactly how much cheese you need you will not only optimize the flavor but you will also ensure that you never have to grate more cheese than you need. Not to mention taking the guess work out of the pasta-cheese sauce ratio etc.
That's why people that use cup measurements will never be the best. Sure they might have good results, but not perfect results. Using a scale with gram measurements for everything (I see some people measuring liquids in ml for some reason, even though you can just measure it in grams which is not only easier but also more precise). There is a ceiling in baking/cooking, which is when eventually either after a lot of testing and tinkering or through someone else who has already perfected recipes, you will have the perfect ratios. You can only get so precise, about 3-5 grams won't make a difference. It's a shame because you see scientists being very precise perfectionists but bakers and cooks tend not to be. We would have already had perfect recipes for all foods if more people were like this. You gotta test every variable and factor (for example, identifying the best liquid or even combination of liquids for cakes and the results of each) and be precise.
I use no egg whites, but appropriate levels of fat, baking powder, baking soda, and an acid in my pancakes and they turn out perfect every time. Because the pancakes will be more tender due to them having less protein, you should use slightly less butter/oil in your recipe since fat makes pancakes more tender. You should still use butter in the pan obviously for your buttery flavor on the outside.
I consistently use only egg whites when cooking bread products and if I want a truly bubbly crumb, I'll employ the kneading + bread flour method to get a light and airy crumb without the denseness that egg whites add.
I use no egg whites, but appropriate levels of fat, baking powder, baking soda, and an acid in my pancakes and they turn out perfect every time. Because the pancakes will be more tender due to them having less protein, you should use slightly less butter/oil in your recipe since fat makes pancakes more tender. You should still use butter in the pan obviously for your buttery flavor on the outside.
I consistently use only egg whites when cooking bread products and if I want a truly bubbly crumb, I'll employ the kneading + bread flour method to get a light and airy crumb without the denseness that egg whites add.
Also, it doesn't matter how tasty or not they look (which is weird anyway, how does a tasty pancake even look like?) the proof is in the results, it makes lighter and fluffier pancakes.
Secondly: you don't need this much butter. It's better with half the amount, and you'll feel less sick afterwards.
It is also good to drink. My sister in law used to drink it when she was pregnant.
Cultured foods are a whole other ball game. : )
My advice"
Stop sweatin' the eggs. : )
I use buttermilk for all my baked goods in the U.S. I makes for fluffier and more long lasting baked goods. It seriously improves the texture.
I think in the UK, you might just try soured milk. Add vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk and let sit for 5 minutes. It is a good substitute but not as good.
Maybe you can find St. Ivel cultured buttermilk that comes in a tube or Lowicz brand in a carton. There is also Sainsbury that comes in what looks like a yogurt tub. There is also Tesco in the milk aisle also in a tub not a carton.
It is best to buy cultured, it lasts longer in the fridge. Stay away from powdered, it just does work well.
You may not have found it because of looking in the wrong place or wrong container type. I bet you find it. It is much better than any substitute. : )
Join The Conversation