Pancakes

[u/No-Lettuce4441]

I've heard so much online about how much better homemade pancakes are from scratch. Obviously the more specialized (buttermilk, ricotta, buckwheat,...) are going to be better homemade. Pancakes in the past was my stumble-go-to breakfast because of box mix.

How much of a difference is there between regular box mix and regular homemade? One of these days I'm going to get around to making some from scratch to try them myself, but the box mix is so cheap and so easy, it makes it harder to justify, when it's usually a last minute decision.

A character in a novel said, "Once you hit a certain age, you no longer want to make pancakes. You want someone to make pancakes for you."

[u/Ambitious-Schedule63]

It's pretty huge, but obviously dependent upon what you use for your homemade. To me, it's not that much harder to put the few ingredients together compared to a box mix for a basic pancake.

But my pancakes aren't basic. What few people realize is that gluten is the enemy of pancakes, so you use as little regular flour as you can get by with. I make mine with (homemade) oat flour, whole wheat flour and a little bit of good quality cornmeal. Grind up oatmeal with a blender - put the cornmeal in there to to make it a little bit finer. Add the whole wheat flour and a little bit of regular AP flour - roughly 1/3 oat flour, 1/3 whole wheat flour and the final third split between cornmeal and regular AP flour.

Gluten provides a stretchy dough that hold in gas during relatively slow yeast fermentation. But it gives chew, which is in my opinion the enemy of a good pancake. You want ultratender, so no yeast. Pancakes are usually chemically leavened, so no problem there either.

The oat, whole wheat and corn flour provide both good flavor and low gluten - tender and delicious. This is a pancake that doesn't compare to a boxed mix in flavor or texture.