The secret to fluffy pancakes is a strong structure inside to trap air. As expert Dmitry Zmievsky said, without an internal frame, such “balloons” will settle and turn into flat cakes that deflate under their own weight.
And the reasons for the sad ending are:
- Batter. At first, it rises quickly in the frying pan due to internal reactions, and due to lack of density, it cannot maintain its rise after frying.
- Too little or too much baking soda and baking powder. In the first case, the dough will not rise, but in the second, it will quickly settle after being removed from the pan.
- Cold dough and overheated frying pan. Due to the incorrect temperature, the dough will react poorly to the heat, which will burn the crust before the structure inside forms.
The most optimal dough structure is thick sour cream, when the dough slowly slides off the spoon, maintaining both its shape and softness. If, when placed in a frying pan, it spills out like kefir, this indicates a weak structure – you can only dream of fluffiness.
Important: mixing the dough for too long will destroy the air bubbles responsible for the fluffiness of the pancakes.
Classic recipe + 3 variations
You will need the following ingredients:
- kefir at room temperature – 250 ml;
- flour – 200 g;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- sugar – 1-2 tbsp. l.;
- soda – 0.5 tsp;
- baking powder – 0.5 tsp;
- salt – a pinch;
- vegetable oil for greasing the pan.
Mix kefir, egg, sugar and salt until smooth, then add soda and baking powder and mix again. Start adding flour little by little, monitoring the consistency of the dough.
Fry the pancakes immediately until the internal reactions have subsided, over medium heat. The pan should be hot, but not overheated. You don't want to use too much oil or else the pancakes will become heavy.
As soon as bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes and the surface becomes matte, turn them over and cover with a lid for a couple of minutes so that both the center is cooked and the airiness is preserved.
Do not stack the finished pancakes on top of each other in a high pile, otherwise they will wrinkle.
How to vary the recipe
And finally – 3 variations:
- Grate a couple of apples and add them to the dough. The result is juicy pancakes with a delicate sourness.
- Mash the ripe banana thoroughly – then the pancakes will be sweet and soft. And take less sugar already.
- Replace kefir with milk. The taste will become neutral, but problems may arise with fluffiness – you can’t do without baking powder.
Serve pancakes with honey, jam, condensed milk, sour cream or fresh berries.
