Why You Should Really Stop Making Pancake Batter In Advance
Pancakes are kind of special. Whether you enjoy them from your favorite local diner or the homemade variety, pancakes are both filling and comforting. These flat cakes have been around since the ancient Greeks, per Betty Crocker. They are so iconic, William Shakespeare even mentioned them not once, but twice, in two separate plays, according to Swindon Advertiser. Call them flapjacks, griddle cakes, slapjacks, or hot cakes, but just make certain your stack has delicious syrup and no shortage of butter. And if you know the tips and tricks for making the most fluffy pancakes — well, the fluffier the better when it comes to this breakfast food.
Of course, pancakes are not just for breakfast. They can be eaten for lunch, dinner, or even as a dessert. And while some might suggest pancakes taste better at a diner than at home, we beg to differ. There is nothing like pancakes in the comfort of your home. However, if you are going to be making pancakes for a crowd or are just considering making the batter ahead of time, please don't. In fact, you never want to make your pancake batter in advance and here's why.
Batter loses its effectiveness
According to Bon Appetit Magazine, if you've been making your pancake batter the night before (or letting the batter sit for an hour or two) ahead of grilling, then you might want to cease and desist. The cooking site shares that all of this is centered around the leavening agents, which are what makes your pancakes fluffy, such as baking powder, yeast, and baking soda. Bon Appetit explains that these leavening agents start doing their work the minute they meet up with the liquid ingredients and quickly lose their super powers.
And before you decide to try it for yourself, others, like the Kitchen Community have done the research and revealed that if you use baking soda to create your pancake batter, you definitely will want to reconsider any delay because the lack of fluffiness will be quite noticeable.
Additionally, mixing pancake batter is not without its challenges: You don't want it to become a heavy, thick batter. Blackstone Products shares that you do not want to over-mix because this will cause your pancakes to be absolutely flat. Of course, you don't want lumps either, so at the very least, Bon Appetit recommends only mixing until dry ingredients are wet.