[mofsb]Everyone who regularly makes pancakes has probably heard that the way to know when your pancakes are ready to flip over to the other side are when a lot of bubbles rise on the surface of the pancake. Once this happens, the first side is perfectly cooked and you should flip it over. This is a myth! I’ve certainly had this pancakery practice fail more times than not. The bubbles tell you something, but not what you’ve been lead to believe! Let’s get to the heart of the batter.
What Do Bubbles On Pancakes Mean?
When a lot of bubbles rise to the top of the uncooked side of a pancake, it means that your leavening agents, whether buttermilk and baking soda, or baking powder, are working. Carbon dioxide bubbles are being released as the acid reacts with the soda. That’s good. But, that’s all it really tells you. This alone doesn’t magically tell you that the first side is perfectly cooked. That being said, you certainly wouldn’t want to try to flip a pancake before any bubbles rise. At that point, it’s hardly even begun to cook.
Bubbles rising to the surface are probably a better indication that buttermilk pancakes are ready to flip than pancakes made with double-acting baking powder, but either way, it’s not an reliable indicator.
Flipping Too Soon
The problem with using the bubbles as the only cue for flipping is that it can, and often does, cause you to flip the pancake too soon. What’s too soon? It’s when the bottom part of the pancake hasn’t cooked through enough and transferred some of that heat to the upper side, thereby beginning to set the batter a bit and drying out the edges. If you’ve flipped a pancake and had the raw batter splatter and spread out, creating streaks of batter in the pan, you know what I mean. This is too soon and you’ve flattened your pancake! The result will be a thinner, denser, and less fluffy pancake.
Unlike steak or burgers, which you can actually flip to your heart’s content, it’s best to flip a pancake once and only once. If you flip it too soon and the bottom is not browned, you’ll want to flip it again. All this flipping is just pounding on a delicate little cake you wanted to be light and fluffy. So, same result, you are making the pancake denser.
When To Flip the Pancake
So, now you know why I’m saying all this, but when should you flip the pancake? Well, bubbles rising to the surface are one clue that your pancake is cooking well. But this is only the first clue as to when to flip. You also want to see the edges of the pancake start to dry out and form a crust, at least on the very edges. How long this takes will depend on the temperature of the pan.
If you wait for these visual clues and flip your pancake only to find the bottom is over-browned, then your pan is too hot. If the bottom is undercooked, the pan is obviously too cool. You can always lift up the edge of the pancake to check! I don’t know why, but fancy-pants chefs seems to always act like you aren’t allowed to peak. This isn’t about pride in your pancake clairvoyance. It’s about cooking a pancake. So, when in doubt, take a look at the underside. You want a fairly even golden-brown color.
