crumbly pancake problem

[cedman]

The pancakes that my Mom made when we were kids were great; although that was about the only thing she made that was edible.

I don't know what mix (if any) she used or if they were made from scratch. I make pancakes using Krusteaze (sp?) because I don't know how to do them from scratch and the mix is easy... it also makes pancakes that fall apart as soon as your fork touches them.

I'd like to make better pancakes... any tips to make this mix work better? How about your favorite pancake recipes or mixes?

[Audrey Levins]

I'm not familiar with that brand, but I have no problems with either Aunt Jemima or Bisquick pancake mixes...mix as little as possible and let it stand for a couple of minutes and they should come out light and fluffy and delicious.

[Audrey Levins]

And get the kind that requires real ingredients (eggs, oil, milk etc) not the "just add water" kind.

Those are kinda gross.

[Cub Mistress]

I don't use a mix, pancakes are amazingly easy to make from scratch.

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 to 1 1/4 cups milk or buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar

mix together in a bowl, don't overbeat, some slight lumpiness is ok. fry on hot griddle until the edges begin to look dry and bubbles are breaking toward the center, flip once and only once. remove when the second side is brown, and keep warm on a plate until ready to serve.

I always heat up my syrup by standing the bottle in a pan of hot water. It's my little Martha touch.:)

None of the proportions are that critical. I just eyeball and dump it all together now. The egg adds strength and keep it from crumbling and the sugar enhances browning. The buttermilk makes them awesome!

[AngelSoft]

Throwing in some chocolate chips helps to hold it all together. At least that's my method.

[Chefguy]

If you don't have self-rising flour, use regular and add a teaspoon of baking powder and a quarter-tsp of baking soda (if you're using buttermilk) per cup of flour.

[FilmGeek]

If you are just using bisquick (i've never used the other kind), use a little more milk than called for. Then add a dash of vanilla.

I also use a good tablespoon (yes) of pumpkin pie spice in my pancakes. Makes them extra delicious.

[AngelSoft]

If you are just using bisquick (i've never used the other kind), use a little more milk than called for. Then add a dash of vanilla.

I also use a good tablespoon (yes) of pumpkin pie spice in my pancakes. Makes them extra delicious.

I dislike Bisquick pancakes because they're like sponges for syrup. They soak it all up yet....still seem dry.

[Czarcasm]

Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.

[LSLGuy]

Krusteze is just about foolproof. Unless your package is 6 years old or you've got tablespoons & teaspoons confused I don't see how you can fail to make decent pancakes with it.

Suggest you double-check everything yuo're doing & report back.

[Maus Magill]

You can make decent pancakes with Bisquick, as long as you remember a few things.

Do not use skim milk.
Add one tablespoon of sugar per cup of Bisquick.
Sift the Bisquick.
Sift it again.
Separate the egg, and whip the whites until soft peaks form.
Beat the egg yolk, then add the milk.
Add the wet to the dry and mix thoroughly.
Gently fold in the egg whites.

Cooking:
Use a hot skillet.
I put about an eight to a quarter teaspoon of butter (the real stuff, not margarine) down before I ladle the batter.

If I do my pancakes like this (when I'm too lazy to make them from scratch), the end up light and fluffy.

[Ro Carter]

Make sure that the mix you are using is in fact pancake mix, not biscuit/pancake mix. Some brands sell what is essentially biscuit mix with pancakes on the front, and then kind of hide the other ingredients you have to add to make them pancakey, rather than large, flat biscuits.

(Speak from experience. I grabbed a box that said instant and had pancakes on the front, then realized during the process of cooking them that something wasn't right. It was too late to go back at that point. I ate them, but had to pour roughly half a bottle of syrup on them to make them less dry and to keep them from falling apart as soon as I touched them)

[Ellen Cherry]

Mashing very ripe bananas in pancakes is pretty awesome too. And never use anything but buttermilk. Tis de bomb.

[Wile E]

You can make decent pancakes with Bisquick, as long as you remember a few things.

Do not use skim milk.
Add one tablespoon of sugar per cup of Bisquick.
Sift the Bisquick.
Sift it again.
Separate the egg, and whip the whites until soft peaks form.
Beat the egg yolk, then add the milk.
Add the wet to the dry and mix thoroughly.
Gently fold in the egg whites.

Cooking:
Use a hot skillet.
I put about an eight to a quarter teaspoon of butter (the real stuff, not margarine) down before I ladle the batter.

If I do my pancakes like this (when I'm too lazy to make them from scratch), the end up light and fluffy.

I highly recommend the sifting. These mixes get lumpy and if you try to mix all the lumps out once you've added the wet ingredients you'll end up overmixing it.

[crazyjoe]

The key is letting it rest for about 3 or 4 minutes before you put the batter on the griddle. This gives the clumps more time to absorb the moisture and fall apart than if you simply mixt it quickly and dump it on the griddle.

[cedman]

Krusteze is just about foolproof. Unless your package is 6 years old or you've got tablespoons & teaspoons confused I don't see how you can fail to make decent pancakes with it.

Suggest you double-check everything yuo're doing & report back.

New mix from the store and the pancakes DO come out very yummy (never had a BAD pancake).
I am just looking to get a bite that I can spear with my fork and not have it turn to mush. More "body" might be the term I'm looking for.