How to Make Tall Pancakes

If we add more flour to the pancake batter, they will be tall but they will also be dense and, possibly, uncooked in the middle. If we add too little flour, the batter will be runny and the pancakes will be thin and flat, like frisbees. Unless, we contain the batter during baking. There is a simple hack you can use to make tall pancakes while still using very thin and runny batter. The pancakes will come out tall and fluffy and they will be cooked in no time due to high hydration.

Option #1. Use stainless steel rings that are specifically designed to contain pancake batter during the frying process. You can buy them online, just search for “pancake rings”.  Major drawback: you will need to wash the rings after every use.

Option #2. Make your own rings in under 2 minutes using baking paper (parchment paper) and a stapler. The paper hack is much easier to use. The rings won't require oiling and you just throw them away afterwards.

How to: start with a sheet of baking paper. Mark the cut lines for 6-8 strips depending on how many pancakes you are making. Cut and roll each one into a ring then staple it.

Now, once your pancake batter is ready, preheat the frying pan. It should be very hot. Lightly drizzle or spray with oil then place a ring (or several, depending on how many will fit) on the frying pan. Pour the batter into each one and fry for 3-4 minutes. Lift one of the pancakes off the surface of the pan using a spatula. If it already has a nice golden crust, peel the paper off all the pancakes - they can already hold their shape. Flip them over and fry for another 2-3 minutes and you are done.

Note: you can also use a griddle, if you have one:



You can also use this technique with burger buns. It is especially handy if you are using specialty flour that doesn’t have a strong gluten structure like farro.