The essential guide to making fluffy pancakes

Casey Wall of Melbourne's Bar Liberty and Capitano shares his recipe for pancakes inspired by the American South.

By Casey Wall
Pancakes
My dad used to make us pancakes as kids on special occasions, so they've always resonated with me. Nowadays, if I'm cooking breakfast, it means I'm on holidays or annual leave, so in a roundabout way, pancakes equal happiness. Buttermilk is a staple in the American South, so almost every pancake I've eaten has had buttermilk in it – and the South always sneaks into how I cook. The acidity in buttermilk also reacts with the leavening agent, which gives the pancake more lift; I also think the acidity helps cut the sweetness. There are a million ways to make most things, but I like the lightness and fluffiness that the whipped eggwhites give the batter. The thought process came from making sponge cakes and meringues, the method worked out, and I've done it ever since.

Ingredients

  • 300 gm (2 cups) plain flour
  • 10 gm baking powder
  • 85 gm caster sugar
  • 5 gm fine salt
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 85 gm melted butter
  • 375 ml (1½ cups) buttermilk