To make pancakes on a griddle, heat the griddle to medium-high heat and lightly grease with butter or cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs, and melted butter until a smooth batter forms. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining batter and serve with your desired toppings.
Whether you have a stove, electric, or a presto griddle in your kitchen, you can make eggnog or vanilla pancakes just like Alton Brown does so. Do you know what the secret is?
There’s no exaggeration in saying that pancakes are not only the most anticipated breakfast food for kids but adults too. And especially when they are embellished with some fresh blueberries, chocolate chips, melted butter, and a stack of sweetness from maple syrup –the mornings go really well!
Wait, wait! Eating pancakes is undoubtedly a delightful moment, but trust me, when you don’t know the right technique to cook them, things get so messy. Although you can make good pancakes in a pan, when it comes to the best delicious golden-brown flat cakes, tender inside, crispy outside –there’s nothing better than a griddle.
Griddles Make the Best Pancakes
You might be wondering why the griddles make perfect pancakes? Want to know the secret? Without waiting anymore, let’s get right into the business.
The precise temperature control –best thing so far!
There’s nothing better than the most precise temperature control of a griddle to cook perfect pancakes. YES! You read that right! They offer consistent heat all over the surface to cook the batter evenly. No overcooked parts, no undercooked batter, you get crispy, crusty pancakes –thanks to the advanced even-heat technology.
The non-stick coating
You know what’s the best thing about the griddle top –both electric and gas, it’s non-stick finishing. Pancakes may stick to the surface and ruin their shape when you spread the batter on any unseasoned surface-probably a pan.
Whenever you brush the oil over the griddle top’s surface, you get a jet-black glazing surface that’s non-stick. It adds a golden-brown crusty flavor to the pancakes. Don’t worry if you ever forget to oil the surface; griddles don’t go wrong with your pancakes.
Infuse the flavors –customizing the pancakes!
When you’re cooking pancakes on a griddle top, you get a lot of time to pour your favorite toppings and seasonings. There’s enough space on the top where you can pour the oil first and batter then. Just imagine, when batter infuses with your favorite flavor –a delicious meal turns out!
From a crispy golden-brown to the silky-smooth and sweet inside, with the griddle, you get tastier pancakes before. Sounds impressive! Right?
A large surface
When your bunch of friends is waiting outside to eat peanut-butter pancakes from your hands, the griddle’s large surface comes right into play. With a skillet, you can only prep one pancake at a time, and it may take hours to prep a heavy meal.
If you have a hungry family to feed, then a 36” griddle will serve you well. It can prepare up to 28 pancakes at a time. Astonishing! Isn’t it?
How to Make Pancakes on an Electric Griddle?
Let’s explore the complete recipe to make perfect pancakes on the electric or presto griddle –because it’s the best way so far.
Prepare the mixture:
If you want to prepare the basic pancakes, apart from the gluten-free one, you must follow the following steps.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl properly, including flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Now you have to pour the milk slowly along with mixing the mixture continuously.
- Next, you have to add vanilla, eggs, and vegetable oil and whisk all the things to make a smoothie. Make sure there are no lumps anymore.
- If you still see some lumps, then beat the mixture unless the mixture is smooth and plain. Your batter is ready!
And you know what? The ideal batter is the one that is lighter and easier to pour. So make sure you whip it up a lot to reach that stage.
Preheat the griddle:
After you’re done making the batter, you have to set your griddle on a preheat mode. It’s the most practical and important feature of an electric grill. There’s a temperature controller on a menu bar with low, medium, and high temperatures.
You have to set the temperature up to 375 Fahrenheit or the average heat level to preheat the griddle top. The electric griddle plates heat up so quickly that you’ve to wait for the batter to stand for 5 minutes.
Bake the pancakes:
It’s an important step, and if you succeed in doing it properly, nothing can stop you from becoming a pro. When you’re spreading the batter, make sure to keep the distance of at least one inch to turn the pancakes easily.
And you know what proves the consistency of a batter? The small bubbles that will form on the batter when the pancake starts boiling show that the pancake is ready to flip. And it usually takes up to three minutes. But wait, there’s more on when to flip the pancakes.
You don’t immediately have to flip the pancakes after watching the bubbles rising. You actually have to wait for the bubbles to pop and create holes on the top. The holes will remain open on the pancake surface, and the batter fills the surface; it’s the time to flip it off.
You have to turn and see below the corner to check if it has got the medium brown color or not. If yes, then turn the pancakes and cook from the other side for two more minutes. But wait, you really have to ignore your impulse to press the pancake with your spatula.
Do you really think pressing it down will cook it faster? NO! That’s not the case, but it will mess-out with the fluffiness of your pancake. So, don’t let your efforts go in vain, and be cautious while handling the pancake.
The final step!
If you’re done rotating the pancakes once or twice, and everything is well –they got a perfect golden-brown appearance, it’s time to remove them from the griddle.
If there’s a need to prepare the second batch, let the griddle preheat for at least 30 seconds. But this time, you have to lower the temperature by 25-degrees from the thermostat.
Spread a chocolate or maple syrup, and if you like walnuts, don’t forget to add them. But wait, if you’re not a fan of maple syrup, there are a lot of varieties that you can add to decorate your pancakes.
You can add some sugar and spice and make everything nice! The lavender and crispy cinnamon sugar, trust me, is delicious. Moreover, honey syrups and coconut chocolate syrups are children’s favorite toppings.
If you’re a chocolate lover and want a whole-chocolate meal, then Nutella, choco chips, or any other chocolate will serve you well. This infusion is miraculous! For making a healthy breakfast, some fruits like bananas, peaches, apples, and pineapples go quite well with pancakes.
Moreover, you can also add peanuts, almonds, and creamy toppings to make the pancakes appetizing. If you want to add a little more to the crisp, don’t forget to add some crunchy toppings.
How To Make Pancakes on a Gas Griddle?
There’s no exaggeration in saying that stove griddles can cook the pancakes equally well. But the problem only comes when there’s a need to control the heat precisely. If you’re fairly proficient in that, there’s no need to switch on electric griddles.
As both the griddles involve the same steps of making pancakes, the results are pretty the same. You get crusty, delicious pancakes with stove griddles too. The only difference is that you need to be quite vigilant with the temperature controls.
As the stove-top griddles use oven burners to spread the heat on the surface, the pancakes need quite more attention. And when you’re up for that, make sure you set the optimal heat at the medium settings. Constant heat is all you need throughout the cooking process, including preheating –that’s the secret of it!
Temperature Requirements For Making Pancakes on a Griddle:
No matter you’re using a stove-top or an electric griddle, pancakes really need a medium temperature. A temperature of 375 Fahrenheit is all you need to cook perfect pancakes on stove-top griddles.
Beware! A temperature slightly higher than this one will lead to an overcooked awkwardly-crispy pancake. And if you keep the temperature low, the pancake may remain uncooked from the inner side. So a precise temperature is an important thing.
Using The Cast Iron Griddle:
The cast iron griddle is another amazing way to make delicious pancakes when coupled with a copper diffuser. The copper diffuser ensures an even heat all over the surface of cast iron –that’s the most important thing you need for making pancakes.
Like all other griddles, the cast iron griddles also need a temperature of 375F for preheating and a slightly lower for cooking. They are quite good because the cast iron doesn’t stick to the batter. You get good control over your pancakes.
Using a Wolf Griddle For Making Pancakes:
Before getting into the business, let’s see what wolf griddles actually are. Made of cold-rolled steel of 0.5-inches thickness, the wolf griddles offer great practicality to prepare pancakes, toasts, and many more. It comes in standard steel, not an alloy, that ensures a non-stick surface –pretty good for pancakes.
How will you maneuver a wolf griddle, by the way? Turn the griddle on and rotate the control knob anticlockwise to set a temperature of 170-degrees or 350F. Preheat it for 5-10 minutes and brush the surface with vegetable oil or butter.
Pour the batter and cook it until you see a golden-brown pancake fluffing on it. Don’t forget to flavor it up with maple syrup –the best combination so far.
Want to Add Some Extras to the Batter?
Have you ever tried adding some tidbits, berries, or bacon to the pancake batter? If yes, were you successful in making blueberry pancakes? Sadly speaking, the berries often sink to the bottom and fail to come equally in every pancake.
What you have to do to ensure the even distribution of these tidbits to every pancake? Don’t worry! There’s no rocket science in it; you just have to follow the right technique. All you have to do is add the extras after you scoop the batter on the surface of the griddle.
Tricks to Make Ultra-High Fluffy Pancakes
Making pancakes isn’t a challenging task but adding some serious fluffiness and highness isn’t easy. Here we are with our three tricks that can help you out in making ultra-high pancakes.
1. Beat the egg whites
We’re going to borrow the technique that gives the airy texture to desserts meringues and soufflés –whisking and beating the egg whites. Take the number of eggs you’re going to add to the batter and separate the yolks from the whites.
Now add the yolks to milk, vanilla essence, and all other wet ingredients used in making the batter. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients, mix it well.
Next, you have to beat the egg whites to form the foam-like consistency. You’ll see the stiff peaks rising higher. Add the beaten egg whites to the batter and start cooking the pancakes.
2. Use carbonated beverage
Another amazing trick that can add a delicious amount of tenderness to the pancakes is using carbonated beverages. You have to replace the liquid content of your ingredients with beer, ginger ale, seltzer water, or cider.
And you know what? It will make your pancakes lighter and tender than before. But make sure you add the carbonation soon before pouring the batter on the griddle.
3. Give some time to gluten
This trick goes well with all sorts of batters that include the double-acting baking powder. What you have to do is mix the batter and put it into the refrigerator. It’s fine if you refrigerate it for some hours or overnight. But we usually recommend leaving it overnight.
The batter’s gluten will get time to relax, and the baking powder will start forming the bubbles. But make sure you don’t stir the mixture again after the rest, or else all the bubbles will deflate –all the efforts will go in vain.
Pancakes Cooking –A Physical or Chemical Process?
When the object’s identity is changed, the process is known as chemical. However, if the identity is the same and only dimensions are changed, the process is physical. The cooking of a pancake is a chemical process because there’s a visible change from a liquid batter to a solid golden-brown pancake.
But wait, there’s more! What if you cut a pancake into two pieces? What sort of change is it? Of course, now it’s a physical change because the full-circle pancake has now turned out into a semi-circle shape.
How Long Does It Take Cook a Pancake on a Griddle?
The time you’re going to out in preparing the perfect pancakes starts right from preheating. Turn the griddle on preheat mode and wait for 15 minutes by setting the temperature at 375F. But some grills may take more time to heat the surface evenly. But don’t spend more than 30 minutes on it.
Once you pour the batter, it won’t take more than 6 minutes to prepare one batch of pancakes.
Related: How to Drain Pasta The Right Way?
Important Tips for Making Perfect Pancakes!
Here we go with some more fascinating tips to make the pancakes delicious.
- The pancake batter should be smooth and thinner so that it will be easy to pour.
- No matter you use vegetable oil or butter, the griddle top should be adequately greased.
- Please don’t touch the pancake soon after flipping it, or else you’ll have to compromise the bubbling texture.
- Avoid over-beating the batter because some lumps are still okay than a sticky, rubbery mixture that results after over-beating.
- Make sure you are using fresh baking powder. Because if the baking powder is old or expired, you’d end up making those flat pancakes –not fluffy or soft at all.
- Don’t forget to give the batter some time and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
- And you don’t certainly have to worry if your first pancake doesn’t go well. The next ones will for sure get the best heat distribution.
Conclusion
Whip off the batter and spread over the griddle to get fluffy, soft pancakes, and finally smother them to your favorite toppings. That’s all you’ve to do to get those mouth-watering pancakes you probably eat in a restaurant.
A griddle is a griddle; no matter you have a stove-top or the latest presto, there’s no better treatment you can give to your pancakes than this. And you know what? After making pancakes once in a griddle, you’ll say goodbye to the skillets or pans.
We hope our complete guide on how to make pancakes on girddle will add a lot to your knowledge, and next time you won’t end up messing with your pancakes.
