The Whisking Tip That Will Help Prevent Lumpy Pancakes
Aside from that first sip of your morning coffee, there's really nothing much better about waking up than enjoying a hot plate of fresh pancakes. The quintessential morning comfort food is just the thing for a lazy Sunday morning or even the ultimate breakfast-for-dinner meal. And they have been since literally ancient times, with the breakfast staple first showing up in Ancient Greece around 600 BC. No matter how you enjoy yours — slathered with maple syrup and butter, stuffed with fresh berries, or even made savory style — their perfection is hard to beat.
But as straightforward and simple as pancakes are to make, even the experienced flapjack chef has likely run into the issue of lumpy batter and a lumpy finished product — it happens to the best of us. Luckily, there's a simple tip to ensure your cakes come out consistently airy and lump-free every time. It's essential to pre-mix your dry ingredients before you add in the wet. The humble whisk works great for this, so no need to bust out the sifter and create extra dishes for yourself. By taking the few extra seconds this tip requires, you'll loosen up any potential clumps and lumps before they form in the final batter, setting yourself up for success and the perfect batch each time.
Whisk first and never overmix
When it comes to the struggle of lumps and the quest for the perfect light, airy stack of cakes, prevention is key. No matter which recipe you're following, whether it's for a gluten-free, paleo, or vegan version, the basic tip of pre-whisking the dry ingredients before you combine them with wet ingredients gets ahead of the problem — a lumpy batter — before it occurs. Once you've loosened up and whisked the base of your flour, leavening agents, sugar, etc, then and only then add your wet ingredients.
Not to be dramatic, but overmixing is essentially the death knell of an otherwise fluffy pancake, and nobody wants to sit down to a dense, chewy stack of cakes. If you find yourself trying to mix away lumps once your wet and dry are combined, you'll likely wind up overmixing your batter (which there's no coming back from). If you're still noticing a few lumps in the batter despite following this tip, don't sweat it. It's actually far better to leave a bit of lumpiness alone versus attempting to smooth it totally out. The remaining lumps will help give some height to your pancakes, contributing to that delicious, fluffy, breakfast stack.