By now, you’ve probably seen the Japanese pancake trend taking the internet by storm. To see what all the fuss was about, I decided to make my own Japanese pancakes, or souffle pancakes, and all I can say is YUM! These extra fluffy pancakes were definitely more delicious than my standard pancake recipe, so I’d say it’s worth the hype. Topped with a bit of butter and warm syrup, I wish I had the time to make these every day.
What makes Japanese pancakes special? Mainly, what makes these pancakes unique is that you fold whipped egg whites into the pancake batter. This creates that fluffy height in your pancakes. There are multiple ways to actually make these types of pancakes at home. Most commonly, people use “ring molds” to help contain the pancake so it rises nice and tall, which is what I did. However, the ring mold helps determine how tall your pancakes can be. If you want super tall pancakes, you’ll need to find a very thick ring mold. Alternatively, if you do a good job whipping the egg whites and gently adding it to the batter, you can actually pipe the batter into a pan and they’ll hold their shape.
The other thing that’s special about Japanese pancakes is that you rely on a bit of steam to help the pancakes rise. Rather than cooking them on a griddle surface, you’ll want to cook them in a tall skillet with a lid. This does make a difference! Next time, I think it would be fun to try the piping bag method to be able to make the pancakes taller. If you make the batter just right, you can actually make these 3+ inches thick!
Grab your ring molds – I like the kind that have a handle for easy moving – and get ready.
Here’s how to make fluffy Japanese pancakes at home!
