Making Pancake Batter the Night Before

Mornings are hectic. If you make your pancake batter the night before, that will save you precious minutes. Some pancake batter can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator and some cannot. Here's how to tell the difference:

Pancake and waffle batters made with baking powder can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Since the baking powder may lose some of its potency overnight, add a little extra. If the first pancake doesn't rise enough, sift a little more over the batter and gently stir it in. Alternatively, you can add an extra 25 to 50% when you make up the batter.

Pancake and waffle batters leavened with baking soda cannot be stored. These leavenings go to work as soon as they are moistened and will lose their power overnight.

Some pancake and waffle recipes call for whipped egg whites to give them extra volume. If the recipe calls for baking powder and egg whites, you can mix the batter the night before but wait till morning to fold in the egg whites.

Since you may not be familiar with recipes that call for whipped egg whites, we thought we would share one with you.

Extra Light and Fluffy Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted all purpose, pastry, or cake flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
2 egg yolks
3/4 cups milk, more or less
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1. Sift the dry ingredients together.

2. In another bowl, mix the yolks, most of the milk, and the melted butter together until smooth.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the mixed wet ingredients all at once. Stir until just combined. (Over-mixing will make for a tough pancake.)

4. Beat the egg whites until light and fluffy and soft peaks appear as for meringue. Add the sugar toward the end of the beating. Fold the egg whites gently into the batter with a spatula. Add milk as necessary to get the right consistency.

5. Cook as you would other pancakes.

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