Makes 6 Pancakes
Time: 30 minutes
I miss NYC the most during the holidays. Any holiday, really, but mostly on Jewish Xmas. If you’re not familiar with Jewish Xmas, it involves Chinese Food and a movie. I always celebrate with my mom, but your family member mileage may vary.
I’m not sure Jewish Xmas can really exist anywhere outside of NYC. While the rest of the country seems to shut down and sink into a comfy sleepiness, it’s a busy busy day in New York. Restaurants do some of their best business, the movie theaters are packed. You can’t truly experience it anywhere else, I guess it’s like American Mardis Gras in that way. Jewish Xmas without NYC is like Mardis Gras without Bourbon Street.
So what’s that got to do with pancakes?
Well, I started ruminating on the ghosts of Jewish Xmas past. In particular, I was trying to recall all the movies I’ve seen on December 25th throughout my entire life. My memory is painfully shabby, but I thought of one year where it was just my mom and me, and we saw Dan In Real Life starring Steve Carrel and Juliette Binoche. I don’t remember much about that movie except for one thing: the pivotal pancake scene.
Juliette Binoche was flipping these magnificent golden brown creatures on a griddle. I think she was pissed off about something, but all I could concentrate on were those puffy pillows of pancakes, perfectly golden brown, lined up like jewel cushions on display.
Ever since, I’ve been obsessing on a pancake like that. I’ve gotten the size and shape right, but often at the expense of the texture. Too doughy, or undercooked. I think my main failing was that I wanted to see air bubbles as the pancakes cooks, but when a pancake is that thick, it’s just not going to happen, and now I know that is okay.
Since there was no Chinese restaurant open, I set about finally getting these totally right: golden, almost crumpet-like in appearance, billowy and substantial but not inelegant. I used the recipe I’d been tweaking, but I got the brilliant and innovative idea to google “Thick Puffy Pancake” and realized I hadn’t been using enough baking powder. A little adjustment and voila — perfect puffs on pancakeness. The stuff of dreams! It was a true Jewish Xmas miracle.
They’re simple so don’t let these tips intimidate you. But I do want to share some lessons I’ve learned the hard way:
~ Don’t use an electric mixer for the batter. Overmixed pancakes tend to result in a dense pancake. I use a dinner fork to get everything mixed.
~ You have to let the batter rest for ten minutes or so. The vinegar and the baking powder need to react with each other and the gluten needs to settle in and rest.
~Don’t crowd the pan. Even in my big cast iron, I don’t make more than two pancakes at once.
~ Don’t use too much oil in the pan. It will result in a tough exterior. A very thin layer of oil is what you want and a spray can of organic canola oil works perfectly for this.
~ Preheat the pan for a good ten minutes. I use cast iron and put it on moderate low heat (right around 3 on my stovetop), but you will probably need to adjust a little to get the temp just right. Remember, the temp is not set in stone. Lower and raise in tiny increments as needed. Even turning the dial 1/4 inch can result in big changes.
~ Use a measuring cup (with a rounded bottom if possible) to scoop out the batter. And remember to always spray ithe cup between pancakes, to prevent sticking.
~ Once you drop the pancake in, refrain from futzing with the batter too much. But don’t be afraid to delicately nudge the batter a tiny bit with your fingers to get a more circular shape and more even cooking. But the batter should spread a tiny bit and puff up all on its own.
And now let the pancakes begin!
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk (or soy milk)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center.
Measure the milk into a measuring cup. Add vinegar and ground flax seeds, and use a fork to vigorously mix the ingredients until foamy. This will take a minute or so.
Pour the milk mixture into the center of the dry ingredients. Add the water, canola oil and vanilla and use a fork to mix until a thick, lumpy batter forms. That should take about a minute. It doesn’t need to be smooth, just make sure you get all the ingredients incorporated.
Preheat the pan over medium-low heat and let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
Lightly coat the pan in oil. Add 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake, and cook for about 4 minutes, until puffy. Flip the pancakes, adding a new coat of oil to the pan, and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Pancake should be about an inch thick, and golden brown.
Rest pancakes on a cooling rack covered with tin foil until ready to serve. To reheat, place pancakes in on a baking sheet covered with tin foil in a 300 F degree oven for 5 minutes or so.
These were honestly the best vegan pancakes I’ve ever had. And I’ve tried a ton of recipes! Nice and fluffy just like you said. And I substituted white whole wheat flour for all purpose flour – and they were still fluffy.
I dub thee, puffy pillow pancake princess! Man these pancakes rock!!!!! I ♥ them!
http://bookwormbethie.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/vegan-puffy-pillow-pancakes/
These taste amazing, yet they never seem to get as thick with me, and its far too runny to use all that liquid. I used about 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup of water. Still it is simply amazing and the batter makes for some incredible french toast! It tastes no different than the pancakes I made as a vegetarian, using eggs and butter and milk. Only I use vegan margarine in the pan to cook them in. It gives it a buttery taste.
I followed the recipe to the letter with the addition of one other ingredient–blueberries. I didn’t add them to the batter but poked them into each pancake after they had puffed a bit into the uncooked side. They did not deflate at all. Remained puffy and beautiful. Also tried it using frozen blueberries and again, puffy perfection. Best pancakes I’ve ever eaten and no one is more shocked than I that they come from my kitchen. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
Just made these this morning and the fluffiness is fantastic. I tweeked them a little since I wanted something apple-cinnamony this morning. They cook up fantastically fluffy and airy. Thank you!
This is my new go-to pancake recipe. They’re absolutely amazing! Thanks!
Do i have to use canola oil and flax seeds?
have you tried this with gluten free flours? Judith/King’s Cross London UK
I have only recently stumbled upon this website, but wow, I haven’t been disappointed yet. These pancakes are the bomb! Every bit as light and fluffy as promised.
I just made these for my family this morning. They were SO amazing!!! My family is not Vegan, so I am always trying to make a BETTER version of everything so I can win them over. Thanks for these delicious pancakes. They will be a new staple at our house for sure. 🙂
Oops! Forgot to ask my daughter’s question! “How can we make these into fluffy pumpkin pancakes?”
These are bomb! I followed the recipe exactly, but used a non stick pan instead of a cast iron. They weren’t quite as fluffy as the picture, but they were damn close. I’m so happy to find a good pancake recipe! I think I’ll try the cast iron next time.
These are seriously the best vegan pancakes. I changed one thing: I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour in place of 1/2 cup white flour. So delicious…they don’t even need maple syrup!
Many months ago I posted that I couldn’t get these to work. I tried flat bottomed measuring cups, rounded bottom measuring cups. I have no idea what I did wrong. Today I tried your VWAV/Vegan Brunch recipe for pancakes and they rocked! So even though this recipe didn’t seem to work for me, you are still my pancake queen! Thank you!!!
I have made these twice so far! My egg-loving, milk chugging boyfriend absolutely loves them. I added a wee bit o nutmeg to mine …not quite as fluffy as the pics but I am getting closer 🙂 Tnx a mill for these!!
Made these last night and they were delicious – only made one change which was used mashed banana instead of oil and it worked! Another hint – make sure pan is at correct temperature before you start! First pancakes stuck to the pan and became mush but all others worked like a charm.
These were fantastic!
I’m so mad at myself for effing up this recipe…I either did or did not forget to add the water, but then added it, and, well…pancakes not puffy! Well, try try again!!!
tried these today, yes i followed to a “t” they puffed up and had a great taste . the only problem was , when i cut into them they were a little spongey and had a gumminess to them . i have never cooked anything vegan before so i dont know if that was a normal texture. Also each pancake was really heavy, good but heavy. I will make these again.
Definitely shouldn’t be gummy! Possible overmixed and/or undercooked?
If you’re in a mad rush to make pancakes and there aren’t any flax seeds around, would chia seeds be okay to use?
This is the most excellent pancake recipe ever, vegan or not, it is a huge hit with my whole family, especially my 1 yr.old twins! I did try to make a batch this morning with whole wheat pastry flour and oat flour instead of the all purpose and they were a total flop – literally! Apparently those flours are much too heavy for this recipe, so tomorrow I will be back to following the recipe exactly!
Thank you. I have been searching a long time for a pancake recipe that is good, and this is by far the best.
Made these last night, and they are fantastic!
I just made these and they were amazing! My dog even stole one from my plate.
Were they 1 inch thick? No, but they were still fluffy and had great texture. This might have been because I added the last half cup of flour after I mixed it but that was my fault for forgetting.
The timing was also great because I always eat a raw veggie or fruit half an hour before a meal. The 10 minutes of rising was also perfect cleaning time and the cooking time allowed for me to eat the pancakes between batches.
Love them! Thank you so much for sharing!
I make this recipe a LOT for my toddler son. I throw in all sorts of veggie purées since he doesn’t always want to eat his veggies. I am trying to get away from using white flour, though. Has anyone made this with another type of flour? Have you had good results?
Just made these. They were awesome, thank you so much!!!
I have been trying to find the most perfect vegan pancake for months, guess I should’ve looked here first! These were soo delicious!! Thank you!!
Made these this morning. Very fluffy. Great Recipe!
These are my new favorite!
We are not vegan or even vegetarian, I am just out of eggs and milk.
Yummy! The best pancakes I’ve ever made. My kids are loving them. Thanks!
Ha, good to know it works for non-vegans, too!
So, I’m assuming you shouldn’t use any whole wheat pastry flour in these? I’m kinda obsessive about eating whole grains.
Maybe I will try these using a third WW flour to two thirds all purpose and see what happens.
The second best pillow after you get out of bed by the looks of it!!
I’m guessing the canola oil is because it is flavourless but I have non would olive work ?
I swapped out the oil for peanut butter and used chocolate almond milk + chocolate chips. Extra tasty!
Just made these! I used Bob’s spelt flour and it was… delicious!! It was accompanied by fresh blueberries, mango, strawberry and orange slices and I used agave as my syrup. Btw-I made some of them blueberry pancakes and they were still yummy and fluffy.
These were absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! This is definitely my new go-to pancake recipe. So fluffy on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside. You are goddess for posting these online, thank you!!
Saw this posted on FB and I have been craving pancakes for the last two weeks. Since I had not had breakfast yet I made them! Soooooo good! Definitely making again soon so I can share with others.
Mine are beer really thick. I wonder is my powder is old…
Wow! Making some this morning. Can hardly wait to taste them.
I’m on day 2 of a week long vegan challenge. Made these for dinner about 2 hours ago with very no expectations and WOW. They are fantastic, fast, and simple! I’ll continue making these even after this week! Thanks for a great recipe! 🙂
Thanks for this. I’ve made these 3 times and always taste great, but i never seem to get it fluffy. The taste is good, but a little wet/rubbery inside. I bought new baking power, thinking that was the reason but it did not help. Only other possible difference is maybe the pan? i am using one of those cast iron griddle pans that goes on top of two burners – could this be the only problem? Open to any thoughts. By the way, my family is making its way through your Vegan Brunch book and so far everything is terrific – scones are a regular staple these days. Thanks so much!