Japanese Fluffy Pancakes
Recipe byThey're all the rage in Osaka. There's a cafe that serves fluffy pancakes in almost every block. We tried them then cooked our home version. Well, my daughter, Alex, did. I just took photos before eating.But what are fluffy pancakes, to begin with, and why are they different from ordinary pancakes? With ordinary pancakes, you simply mix the flour with egg and milk to make the batter. With fluffy pancakes, the egg whites are beaten until stiff before adding to the batter. The invisible bubbles in the stiffly beaten egg whites are responsible for the fluffiness of these pancakes.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons full fat milk
- ¼ cup cake flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- cooking oil for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.
- Stir the milk into the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
- Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt directly into the egg yolks. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (see guide on beating egg whites). Add a tablespoonful of sugar and continue beating. Add the second tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Take two heaping tablespoonfuls of egg whites and whisk gently into the egg yolk mixture. Repeat until half of the egg whites have been incorprated. Scrape the rest of the wgg whites into the yolk mixture and, using a spatula, fold in until completely incorporated.
- Heat a wide heavy-bottomed frying pan and brush with half of the oil. Keep the heat on medium-low setting.
- Drop one heaping tablespoon of pancake batter on one side and another on the opposite side. Cook for a minute.
- Drop another tablespoon of batter on top of each pancake and cook for another minute.
- Drop a third tablespoon of batter on top of each pancake.
- Pour in a tablespoon of water on each of the two empty spots of the pan.
- Cover the pan and cook the pancakes for another minute.
- Carefully flip the pancakes. Cover the pan and cook for another two minutes or until the batter is cooked completely.
- Repeat to make two more fluffy pancakes.
- Serve the fluffy pancakes while hot. You may top them simply with powdered sugar or you may add fresh fruits and syrup.