TV host, food writer and podcaster – famous for her Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat Netflix show – shares her recipe for the fluffiest pancakes you’ll ever make …
“Yes, this is a three-bowl recipe. And yes, it involves whipping egg whites. But these pancakes, made light and custardy with a generous amount of ricotta, are heavenly clouds of fluff. The only downside (besides the bowls) is that you may never settle for any other pancake again.” @ciaosamin
Good Things: Recipes to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat, Ebury.
Makes 16-18 pancakes (7.5cm)
Ingredients
130g plain flour
1 tbsp plus
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp (5g) kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
232g full-fat-milk ricotta
183g full-fat milk
2 medium eggs, separated
To serve
Unsalted butter or Cardamom Ghee (page 61)
Maple syrup, Apricot and Noyau Jam (page 433), icing sugar and/or fresh fruit
Method
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, and egg yolks until very smooth. Set aside.
3. Preheat a 25cm or larger cast-iron frying pan (or flat grill) over medium-low heat while you whip the egg whites.
4. In a small bowl, use a whisk (or handheld electric mixer on medium speed) to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, for about 3 minutes.
5. Add the ricotta mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk gently until just barely combined. Then use a silicone spatula to stir in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Finally, fold in the rest of the egg whites with a light touch.
6. Melt just enough butter in the pan to coat the surface and increase the heat to medium. Measure a 60ml ladleful of the batter into the pan. If it doesn’t immediately begin to sizzle, wait until it does before pouring out more pancakes. Cook the pancakes on the first side until the bottoms are golden brown and bubbles appear around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Use a thin flexible metal spatula to flip – this is when they will thrillingly begin to defy gravity – and cook until golden brown on the second side, another 1 to 2 minutes. Sometimes I like to flip a second time to make sure the pancakes get completely cooked through, but the only way to be sure that they are cooked is to tear one open and check.
8. Transfer the pancakes to individual plates or a warmed serving platter, wipe out the pan, and repeat with remaining batter.
9. Serve immediately, with butter or ghee; syrup, jam, or icing sugar; fresh fruit; or any other desired garnishes.