I love weekend mornings. We generally spend them together as a family preparing a fabulous late morning brunch. We have the usual dishes such as scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, fruit and, of course, pancakes. The kids usually make the batter and add different things to make them their own. Japanese pancakes are not much different from standard American pancakes for the ingredients. Buttermilk is typically one of the common ingredients added to these pancakes, and it’s simple to make if you don’t have any on hand. Simply add one teaspoon of vinegar into a measuring cup and fill the rest of the way with regular milk as necessary depending on your recipe. Be sure to beat the eggs well as this helps to give them that fluffy, sponge-like texture.
Japanese Pancake Fun Facts
- Famous for their jiggly appearance
- Japanese pancakes are also called hotcakes or souffle pancakes
- Japanese pancakes date back to the 16th century
- In the late 1940s after WWII, Hiroshima citizens found metallic sheets in the rubble and baked these pancakes to survive
Japanese Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cups Bisquick
- ¼ tsp baking soda
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together two eggs, three quarters of a cup of buttermilk, one-quarter cup of sugar, and one-half teaspoon of vanilla, until well blended.
- Add one and one-half cups of Bisquick, and one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Heat an oiled skillet on low until hot, and drop some of the batter into it. Flip after bubbles appear. Use a spatula to turn the pancake.
- Continue cooking the pancake until the middle is fully cooked.
- Serve with fruit and warm syrup.
Fluffy Japanese Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Bisquick
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, blend one and one-half cups of Bisquick, three tablespoons of icing sugar and one tablespoon of baking powder.
- In a separate bowl, stir one and one-quarter cups of buttermilk, four tablespoons of melted butter, one teaspoon of vanilla extract and the egg yolk. Mix until well combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat three egg whites with one-quarter teaspoon of cream of tartar. Continue beating for two minutes.
- Combine the flour and milk mixture and stir until blended, being careful not to over mix.
- Gently fold in the egg whites.
- Spray the inside of four3-inch-high ring molds with cooking oil.
- Spray a skillet with cooking oil and heat over medium heat. Place the prepared ring molds into the skillet and fill each one halfway with the pancake batter.
- Cover the skillet. Flip the molds over when the batter has reached the top of the mold. Both sides should be golden brown.
- Transfer to a serving dish and remove the mold.
- Serve with melted butter and syrup.
Japanese Chocolate Hazelnut Pancakes
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 1 ½ cups Bisquick
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup chocolate hazelnut spread
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
- 1 ½ cups hazelnuts
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (use as needed)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, sift one and one-half cups of Bisquick and one teaspoon of baking soda together.
- In a separate large bowl, cream one egg, two egg yolks, one-half cup of caster sugar and one tablespoon of honey together and beat until smooth.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in with the wet. Add the buttermilk, a little at a time, until smooth.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat.
- Drop a tablespoon of batter into it and cook for two minutes, or until the pancake bubbles and sets. Flip and continue cooking for one minute.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
- Spread half of the pancakes with chocolate hazelnut spread and place the other halves on top to form a sandwich. Enjoy!
- To prepare a homemade version of chocolate hazelnut spread, first, preheat the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the hazelnuts in an even layer. Bake for ten to fifteen minutes, or until the skins have split apart. Use a damp towel to take the skin off. Add the warm nuts and one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to a food processor. (If the nuts have cooled off, reheat them in the oven first to release their oil.) Add two tablespoons of honey and process until smooth. Add the vegetable oil if the spread appears too thick.
Final Thought
For the best Japanese pancakes, make sure your cooking pan is clean and preheated before adding the batter. Eat them while they are hot, otherwise they will most likely deflate. Have fun cooking and enjoy!