• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Ruhlman
  • About
  • My Books
  • My Kitchen Essentials
  • Press
  • CV
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • My Books
  • My Kitchen Essentials
  • Press
  • CV
  • Contact
×

Pancakes!

Published: Feb 3, 2014 · Modified: Feb 3, 2021 by Michael Ruhlman · 29 Comments

A favorite breakfast treat for all the classic pancake. Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.

Pancakes! Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman.

I love pancakes on winter mornings. And I find something terribly satisfying about pancakes with an over-easy egg and bacon—the savory bacon and the sweet pancake and syrup expertly mediated by the versatile egg.  I got to thinking about them recently after a commenter on a recent post announcing the Ratio 2.0 release wrote that for five bucks he'd do the math himself. It kind of annoyed me, but I couldn't figure out why until I thought about pancakes.

I always remember that I prefer a 5% brine, so that however much water I use, I can multiply that by .05 to determine the salt quantity. But ratios aren't simply math, they're about the proportions of several ingredients. No matter how many times I make pancakes, I always check the ratio. Moreover, they scale to what you have or need. Say you have only one egg. Say you wake up to find 13 of the guests who came to your Super Bowl party last night are asleep in your living room and will need to be fed. What to do?!

Ratios are the key. And what's best is that if you know the ratio, you know infinite variations. You can make these pancakes savory or sweet or put them to different uses. This all-purpose batter will make great fritters if you use it simply as a binder, for example.

The following ratio and recipe is from my book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking.

Pancakes

2 parts liquid : 1 part egg : ½ part butter : 2 parts flour

What I like about a pancake ratio is that you can tailor the amount according to how many people you want to feed, even if you just want to feed yourself.  Also, you can vary it to your own taste, adding more or less liquid for thinner or thicker pancakes. Buttermilk or homemade yogurt can be measured as half the liquid for a more complex flavor. You can also replace 25 percent of the flour with cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, or other ground cereals or grains for differing flavors and textures. These are standard pancakes, flavored with a little sugar and vanilla. I like to cook them on a film of bacon fat, which gives them a crisp crust.

Wet Ingredients

  • 8 ounces milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 ounces butter (½ stick), melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

  • 8 ounces flour (1 ⅓ to 1 ½ cups)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  1. Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk until they are thoroughly mixed.
  2. Combined the dry ingredients (press the baking powder through a strainer if it's pebbly).
  3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and whisk or stir just until the batter is smooth (don't over mix or the pancakes can be tough). This ratio results in a fairly thick batter, and thick, cakey pancakes. If you like them thinner, add 1 or 2 ounces of milk.
  4. Cook on a lightly oiled griddle or pan over medium heat until done.

Yield: About eight 4-inch pancakes

 

Other links you may like:

  • My past posts on making mayo and the key to making flaky biscuits.
  • Here are 10 different fillings for your pancakes.
  • Want to learn more about this breakfast treat? Check out the history of the pancake.
  • Personality type can be determined by how you eat an egg.

© 2014 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2014 Donna Turner Ruhlman. All rights reserved.

 

« Friday Cocktail Hour: The Robertson
Friday Cocktail Hour: The Greyhound »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dave Weinstein

    February 03, 2014 at 11:20 am

    You can actually replace the flour straight one-for-one with almond flour, and it works perfectly. I usually make them with almond flour and with almond milk as the liquid.

    Reply
    • cleek

      February 04, 2014 at 11:14 am

      i tried this last night, when making corn-cakes: subbed almond meal for the wheat flour. worked really well. and the little bits of almond went nicely with the slightly-chewy corn meal.

      put them under some chicken chipotle sausage. yum.

      Reply
    • Chris

      January 30, 2022 at 2:54 am

      How much oil does this need to turn it into waffle batter if I seperate the eggs and such? I have been using the pancake recipe for years and recently got a waffle maker.

      Reply
      • Michael Ruhlman

        March 24, 2022 at 4:30 pm

        I don't know! A little extra, and give it a go.

        Reply
  2. Miguel Massens

    February 03, 2014 at 11:35 am

    I've used this ratio many times at the restaurants for staff meal and it works. However, I find there's one very key technique missing from the instructions, and it's to NOT OVERMIX the batter. I made this mistake the first few times I used this ratio, and the pancakes come out like lead. I also find baking powder is essential to getting a nice lift. Other than that, this is my go to ratio everytime.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      February 03, 2014 at 11:57 am

      so true on the mixing! only mix to combine, otherwise too much gluten developed.

      Reply
  3. Blima

    February 03, 2014 at 11:48 am

    Great post, I love breakfast for dinners, now I'm hungry.

    Reply
  4. Tags

    February 03, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    When you saw "five bucks," you thought of buckwheat, a classic pancake ingredient.

    Reply
  5. Paul Kobulnicky

    February 03, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    Depends on whether you think pancakes are the big flat cakey kind or the light, thin crepie kind ... different ratios. It turns out to be a spectrum from too much flour to too little flour but almost everything in between can be really good in one circumstance or another.

    Reply
  6. KristineB

    February 03, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    For five bucks, I'll let you do the math.

    Reply
  7. bail bonds adams county

    February 03, 2014 at 6:22 pm

    Hi there! I'm at work browsing your blog from my new iphone
    4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward
    to all your posts! Carry on the fantastic work!

    Reply
    • ruhlman

      February 04, 2014 at 6:04 pm

      Wow, thanks for commenting, bail bonds of adams county! thrilled you took the time. what an honor. Aren't iPhones great?!

      Reply
  8. Sam

    February 04, 2014 at 10:31 am

    The mediator between pork and cake must be the egg. I like it. Very Fritz Lang. I've been making cornmeal and parmesan pancakes for breakfast recently--I really should throw an egg on top sometime!

    Reply
  9. witloof

    February 04, 2014 at 9:58 pm

    Matzo meal makes wonderful pancakes. Break two eggs into a bowl, pour enough matzo meal in to make a thick batter, thin it with a little milk, add salt and pepper, and fry them in hot oil. You can also add a blob of cottage cheese.

    Reply
  10. jim budros

    February 05, 2014 at 11:28 am

    just attended the artisan bread baking school at King Arthur taught by master Jeffrey Hamelman. all formulas are in baker's math using kilos and grams where the flour ingredient is always 100% and other ingredients like water, salt and yeast are proportions (read ratios) of 100. so easy, ratios rock, jim

    Reply
  11. Michael Villar

    February 05, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    I like the idea of using the recipe as a binder for a fritter. Thanks.

    Reply
  12. Steve Grimmer

    February 05, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    So true about ratios and pancakes! For many years I've been making Daddy's Pancakes every Saturday morning. My scalable recipe is: 1 egg, 1 oz butter, 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 1T sugar, 1t BP, 1t salt. Beat the egg(s), whip in melted butter to emulsify, mix in milk. Sift in dry ingredients, mix gently.
    To jack it up a notch, add 1 oz lemon juice to the milk, and add 1/4t baking soda to the dry ingredients. This makes really light, tall pancakes!

    Reply
  13. Kurt

    February 05, 2014 at 8:42 pm

    Still the best damn pancake recipe ever. Never going back.

    Reply
  14. David

    February 06, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    from a book on wine

    http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7157186-is-this-bottle-corked

    "He had his servants prepare mounds of pancakes, a favorite food of the Mesopotamian gods, and placed beside each of them a huge vessel brimming with a fragrant and delicious wine made from dates. To encourage their drinking, he gave each god a tube through which he could drink his wine without needing to move. To encourage their relaxation, he had musicians play soft music on their pipes, and he brought into the hall many sheep, whose bleating further lulled the gods into restfulness."

    Reply
  15. Art Vandelay

    February 10, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    This has been my go to recipe for years. On occasion I will do half milk and half OJ, which really works well.

    Reply
  16. Goober

    February 16, 2014 at 9:27 pm

    I had not eaten a pancake in years, but this post inspired me to get out the electric griddle and put my sourdough starter to use. Two batches in two weeks, with a third planned for tomorrow.

    Reply
  17. tjh

    March 04, 2014 at 10:06 am

    So, for decades I've found and used a variety of pancake recipes trying to balance flavor, fluffiness and flatlessness... and the recipes I ended up keeping around the kitchen all use about 2 Tbls of oil per cup of flour. Why? I took their collective words for it, but have had Ratio since you published (terrific!) and haven't thought about asking why others use oil in pancake batter, but not you, and many others... thanks!

    Reply
    • Mica

      October 24, 2019 at 3:12 pm

      Oil is a type of fat, like butter, which can replace all or part of the butter. It’s more convenient, because you don’t have to melt it, but it also leads to less rich pancakes. However, there is such a think as so much richness, and sometime buttery-mess can overpower other flavors, so it’s also a think of preference.

      Reply
  18. tjh

    March 04, 2014 at 10:10 am

    So, for decades I've found and used a variety of pancake recipes trying to balance flavor, fluffiness and flatlessness... and the recipes I ended up keeping around the kitchen all use about 2 Tbls of oil per cup of flour. Why? I took their collective words for it, but have had Ratio since you published (terrific!) and haven't thought about asking why others use oil in pancake batter, but not you, and many others. I like the butter flavor better, but why is oil so prevalent?... thanks!

    Reply
  19. Astoria Properties

    April 09, 2014 at 1:51 pm

    Hi there, You have done a fantastic job. I'll definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends.
    I am sure they will be benefited from this site.

    Reply
  20. amysclothingshop.com

    May 30, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    Wonderful items from you, man. I've understand your stuff
    previous to and you're simply too magnificent.
    I actually like what you have obtained right here, certainly like what you are stating and the
    way during which you are saying it. You're making it entertaining and you
    continue to care for to stay it smart. I can not wait to
    read much more from you. This is actually a great site.

    Reply
  21. Chikkinlittle

    October 16, 2021 at 11:40 am

    Just tried this while visiting Portugal without any measuring implements so your rations worked well. I use self-rising flour and added bicarbonate of soda, lemon juice and chopped peel. I underestimated the amount of flour or overestimated the milk so got pancakes somewhere between cakes and crepes. Sautéed in butter. They were lovely. Thank you so much for the ratios as it gave me a starting point.

    Reply
  22. sugaro

    December 28, 2024 at 3:27 pm

    is the sugar or butter/oil necessary or can be left out without major changes to the end result?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      January 09, 2025 at 6:55 pm

      you can leave out the sugar but i'd keep the butter.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Michael Ruhlman, an award-winning author and cook who writes about chefs, food and cooking, among other things.

More about me →

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

See my books!

Ratio App for iPhone

After I wrote my book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, a colleague and I built a ratio calculator for iPhones that allows you to cook without recipes. For doughs, batters, custards, sauces, stocks and more, simply plug in the amount of one ingredient and the amounts of the other ingredients are instantly calculated. It's also a handy reference for dozens of our most common preparations. ($4.99 in the app store.)

Collaborate

I’ve collaborated on a dozen books, including cookbooks and a memoir. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, please contact my agent, Gail Hochman, [email protected], at Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.

For speaking engagements contact, Kip Ludwig, [email protected].

Hi, I'm Michael Ruhlman, an award-winning author and cook who writes about chefs, food and cooking, among other things.

More about me →

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

See my books!

Ratio App for iPhone

After I wrote my book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, a colleague and I built a ratio calculator for iPhones that allows you to cook without recipes. For doughs, batters, custards, sauces, stocks and more, simply plug in the amount of one ingredient and the amounts of the other ingredients are instantly calculated. It's also a handy reference for dozens of our most common preparations. ($4.99 in the app store.)

Collaborate

I’ve collaborated on a dozen books, including cookbooks and a memoir. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, please contact my agent, Gail Hochman, [email protected], at Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.

For speaking engagements contact, Kip Ludwig, [email protected].

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up for my bimonthly newsletter.

Contact

  • Contact
  • FAQ

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme