Pancakes Without Baking Powder

If you want to make pancakes without baking powder, you could make English pancakes. The original recipes do not include baking powder and have just three key ingredients: plain flour, eggs, and milk. Pancakes with no baking powder basically denotes flat, compact pancakes. While the health benefits cannot be denied, you will have to compromise on quality (read; fluffiness). If you want to make American pancakes without using baking powder, the best option is to substitute regular flour with self-raising flour. Here are instructions about how to make pancakes without adding baking powder:

Simple Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-raising flour
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 ¾ cups milk
• 2 tbsp sugar (or brown sugar)
• Vegetable oil
• Syrup or honey
• 2 tbsp softened butter or margarine

Method

Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk plenty of air into them. Mix the flour, salt and sugar together and then sift them twice. Add the eggs and milk to the flour mixture and stir into a smooth batter. Pour a little oil into the skillet and heat until warm. Now pour a ladle of batter into the skillet, and once tiny bubbles appear in the surface, especially around the edges, flip the pancake. Keep a check, and once both sides are golden brown, take it out and repeat the process until all the batter is used up. Don't get distressed if the initial ones don't turn out well, for you'll definitely get a hang of it by the time you make the third one. Serve with a drizzle of honey or syrup and a blob of butter.

Blue Berry Pancakes

Ingredients (makes 10 pancakes)

• 200g self-raising flour
• Sunflower oil or a little butter for cooking
• 150g pack blueberries
• 1 egg
• Knob of butter
• 300ml milk
• Golden or maple syrup

Instructions

Sift the flour into a large bowl and add a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, first whip up the eggs, and then pour in the milk. Form a well in the center of the flour and gradually stir in the milk and eggs till you have a thick smooth batter. Add the melted butter and blueberries. Next, put a small knob of butter into a non-stick frying pan and place it on medium heat. Pour a large tablespoonful of the batter into the pan to make one pancake (about 8cms in diameter). If the pan is large, you can make two or three pancakes at a time. When small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake, it's time to turn them over. You need to cook them on each side for approximately 2 to 3 minutes until they turn golden. Top each pancake with a spoonful of blueberries and serve along with golden syrup.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk
• Butter, for cooking
• 1¼ cups self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt

Directions

Melt the butter and add it to the milk. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour and salt. Whisk the eggs and add it to the milk. Pour the liquid ingredients into a bowl with the dry ones. Add the chocolate chips and mix all of it into a batter without lumps. Heat a griddle with a teaspoon of butter over medium heat. Ladle 1 tablespoon of batter per pancake, into the pan and cook until bubbly on the top and golden brown on the bottom. Flip and brown the other side. Serve hot.

These recipes should give you a fair idea of how to make pancakes without baking powder. If you are disappointed with the result, try to mask it by serving it along with fresh strawberries and good vanilla ice cream. Another option is to add a pinch of ground cinnamon to the batter and serve the pancakes with caramelized apple slices and thick double cream.