The Egg White Trick For Fluffier Pancakes Without Whipping

Pancakes are an undeniable breakfast staple. Whether you enjoy them with an abundance of top-notch pancake toppings or alongside fried eggs and bacon, there's no denying that flapjacks taste best when they're light and fluffy. But making them that way is easier said than done. The main ingredients of a quality pancake batter are relatively simple, but a lot can go wrong when mixing them together.

When it comes down to the basics — milk (preferably buttermilk for extra-moist flapjacks), butter, flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda — there are some decidedly right strategies. For instance, the dry ingredients should always be thoroughly mixed together before being mixed with the wet ingredients. However, for best results, not all the wet ingredients should be combined at the same time.

Pancake recipes often diverge when it comes to dealing with eggs in particular. While sifting through the internet, you'll find suggestions to mix in whole eggs or to separate egg whites and yolks and whip the whites before folding them in. Many recipes are adamant that this second technique is the right approach. After all, good pancakes require leavening to achieve their fluffy texture. Baking powder and baking soda usually take on the bulk of this work, supported by a frothy egg white.

But what if you could cook up the fluffiest pancakes of your life without whipping egg whites and worrying about them deflating? Save yourself time and stress with this egg white trick that doesn't require any whipping at all.

It is possible to make fairly fluffy pancakes without separating egg whites and yolks. In fact, if you use a basic buttermilk pancake recipe, you'll find that whole eggs result in a perfectly good breakfast. But if you're striving for the fluffiest pancakes possible, adding fatty yolk and protein-rich white at different stages will deliver better results. 

The order in which egg yolks and whites are added to a batter is important. This is because the yolk enhances the batter's moisture and richness while the white enhances its volume. While the yolks should be mixed in with other wet ingredients, the whites should be set aside as the final ingredient. Since egg whites can serve as a leavening agent, leaving them for last allows the air bubbles in the pancake batter to grow to their maximum potential without being overworked.

While some chefs and bakers swear by using whipped egg whites for perfect pancakes, folding them into pancake batter un-whipped delivers surprisingly fluffy results. Part of the problem with whipped egg whites lies in keeping them foamy, a troublesome task that isn't worth the timing. After all, to achieve tall and fluffy pancakes, you should let the batter rest for about 10 minutes before pouring it into a hot pan. Doing so gives the lumpy bits time to absorb moisture — and time for any frothed egg whites to deflate. Meanwhile, un-whipped egg whites will add that extra puffiness to the batter without all the fuss.

Folding un-whipped egg whites into pancake batter isn't the only trick worth trying for fluffier flapjacks. In fact, there are many ways to increase the height of your pancakes.

Before you mix up batter, you'll need to combine your dry and wet ingredients separately. For the fluffiest pancakes possible, check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. If either leavening agent isn't as active as it should be, it won't be as effective. Both should be used within six months of opening for best results. It's also essential to thoroughly mix them with other dry ingredients before adding them to the wet ones. This will prevent unwanted acidic or metallic flavors.

Once you've combined your dry and wet ingredients into one big bowl, it's time to whisk — but not too much or too little. An undermixed pancake batter won't be smooth enough to cook evenly. On the other hand, overmixing your batter can deflate air bubbles and overdevelop the gluten in the flour, resulting in flat and tough pancakes. Runny batter will also spread out more in a hot pan, leaving little chance for each pancake to rise. Ideally, your pancake batter should have lumps and air bubbles with no streaks of dry ingredients.

Between proper mixing and using un-whipped egg whites, your batter will be primed to deliver delightfully fluffy pancakes. And as long as you don't press down on them while they cook, you'll be blessed with a breakfast fit for champions, even sleepy ones.