Am I the only one who's never separated an egg for pancakes? I mean, honestly, I've never even heard of such a thing.

Never separated in my life and see no need to start now.

Yeah, funny, I was going to say that I never separate the eggs for my pancakes. Although I do for waffles, and beat the whites...and actually, I do also when I make ricotta pancakes. But never for regular buttermilk pancakes... But I will definitely try this recipe/technique sometime!

these are the world's best pancakes!

Verrryyyy interesting. I've always beat the egg white separately too. I'll have to try this method.

Never heard of separating the eggs for pancakes. I use Marion Cunninham's recipe, which uses baking powder for lift.

I have never separated them nor ever thought to. I think that sounds weird. lol!

I've never heard of separating them. The key to great pancakes is the buttermilk, in my opinion!

What is the reason behind the separating?

Oh, and since I never have buttermilk in my house, I usually add yogurt to my pancakes: buttermilk only gets half milk half yogurt, or, in the case of these pancakes, the buttermilk gets completely replaced by yogurt. Delicious and less cake-y (I hate cake-y pancakes and prefer a firmer texture).

Yum! These pancakes looks so delicious :)

I've never separated my eggs either, but I have heard about it. My boyfriend mentioned it once as well. Maybe one day I'll try it to see if there is a difference and if it is worth the effort. But honestly, in the morning, it is enough for me to mix and stir, not pull out the mixer and whip egg whites.

I don't see the point of separating the egg in this recipe. My buttermilk pancakes turn out great without separating the eggs. The real trick is how you mix the batter and how hot the griddle is.

i'm not an egg separater either. but i do like adding a bit of vanilla extract to my pancake batter!

Separating the eggs makes them THAT much fluffier and lighter.

I use oatmeal and it just melts away into the batter so deliciously so it's not like oatmeal pancakes, the oatmeal just adds this new layer of flavor.

This is very similar to the America's Test Kitchen recipe, which is fantastic. Yolks and butter mixed together, and then whites and milks mixed together. Then both added to dry. They of course offer the science behind the protiens bonding etc. etc.

I just open a box of Hungry Jack Buttermilk pancake mix! Just add water, no egg separating required at all!

I have never separated eggs for anything. Well, except coconut macaroons. I make an exception for those.

My pancake recipe is from the Joy of Cooking (the '70s version) and includes 1 egg, some milk, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Oh, and maybe some melted butter, I can't remember. But that's it. And they turn out lovely. I don't like pancakes that taste like souffle, but these (if your baking powder isn't expired) are tender and delicious.

My favorite thing to do is add chocolate chips or cocoa powder to the batter (heavenly with chopped dried cherries) and make extra to eat cold, straight out of the fridge. The little bit of sugar in the pancakes makes sure that when cold, they don't even need syrup or butter.

The only time I've seen a pancake recipe call for a separated egg was so you could whip the whites into soft peaks and fold them into the batter. This makes for a very light pancake.

Weird - I just posted about pancakes this morning. Except mine are gluten-free, and the egg whites are whipped separately then folded in. Super fluffy and delicious.
http://lauren-likes.tumblr.com/post/2144736061/gluten-free-buckwheat-yogurt-pancakes

I always add a teaspoon of vanilla to my pancake batter - just like my mother always did. These sound soooo good!

I never heard of this technique, gonna have to try it. I separate and whip the whites when making souffle pancakes, but never for plain old pancakes though.

Let me put in another plug for Sacco Powdered Buttermilk. It lasts forever in the fridge, so you'll always have it around when you need it. I use it with regular milk (the instructions call for water) and have always gotten great results.

I use Martha Stewart's pancake recipe and don't normally separate the egg. I tried it once but it was lots of extra work on a Sunday morning for not that much of a benefit. But I do add vanilla paste to my mix and occasionally some cocoa powder. Or chocolate chips. And banana slices. And blueberries.
I'm hungry now...

Instead of buttermilk, mix some milk or 1/2 and 1/2 with some canned pumpkin...and you have pumpkin pancakes (super delish)

Yeah, that's strange. I've never separated the eggs for pancakes, either, and I've NEVER had them be anything other than light and fluffy. Strange! I don't use buttermilk, either.

Nope, not convinced.

My husband makes the best pancakes outside of Mitchell London's at the Fairway Market. In trying to re-create that recipe (Mitchell's mother's apparently), we've come as close as we're going to get by 1) separating the yolk and white, and beating the white into peaks, and 2) adding sour cream into the batter. Divine.

the best pancakes don't have ANY egg at all. my great-grandmother always made them without egg and with buttermilk to make them a little tart. i'll take those over fluffliness any day of the week.

http://veganyumyum.com/index.php?s=overnight+pancakes&searchbutton=Go!

These are seriously some of the best pancakes that I have had and they are vegan. Whenever I have the motivation to mix them the night before I make them.

my pancake recipe is a buttermilk pancake passed down from an old amish cookbook from my great-grandmother. it calls for buttermilk, but if you don't have that, we always just use one cup of milk and one TB of vinegar, which actually substitutes quite nicely, as weird as that sounds.

i've never separated the eggs when i make pancakes, and mine get quite a bit taller than the ones in the picture. my recipe came from sunset magazine, an issue published maybe 10 years ago. it was for blueberry buttermilk pancakes, and i've made the same recipe with and without the blueberries. either way, they're the best i've ever had.

@melissakay - i've done that many a time when making everything but pancakes/waffles. i always make sure i have buttermilk when i make those! however, the vinegar trick has saved my ass many a time when making cornbread :)

I make my pancake and waffle batter in the blender. Super simple and my way to make them fluffy is to let the batter sit in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. Fluffy and light as can be.

I try to stay away from milk and buttermilk (lactose intolerant). I can substitute lactaid milk for the 1/4 cup milk, any suggestions for the cup of buttermilk?

This recipe is similar to my grandma's pancake recipe. (No egg separating there either--but ever since I was a kid, I can't seem to make pancakes without burning myself on the griddle.) I like adding pecans and cinnamon, too--or making waffles instead.

Man oh man. I made these last night and my tastebuds screamed with delight. Best ever indeed!

@jbenhaim- poor thing! a friend of mine just figured out he was lactose intolerant. Do you still have problems when the milk product is cooked?

I'm sure if you added a little lemon juice to the lactaid it would be the equivalent of lactose-free buttermilk.....otherwise maybe some tofu-based sour cream?

My friend has taken to reading a lot of vegan boards now to find dairy substitutes that hold up to cooking.

the alton brown pancake recipe calls for separating the eggs, but you mix the yolk with the butter and the whites with the buttermilk. it's really the only recipe i've ever used (except joy of cooking, which i really don't like), and i've always had great results. also, it calls for all the dry ingredients to be combined in a big tupperware/jar to make "mix," which we do in big batches, so then when we want them it's just a matter of scooping out a cup or two and adding the buttermilk, eggs and butter.

My everyday pancake (and waffle) recipes don't call for beating the whites and I use regular milk.

When I have the time and desire to fuss, then I have a buttermilk pancake recipe we like, as well as a richer waffle recipe that both call for beating the whites. Since they take more time (and have more calories) I don't do them for everyday.

I made these pancakes last night and they were actually fluffier than my usual pancake recipe and very tasty, but I felt like the instructions were a little lacking. Where does the 1/4 cup of regular milk go? I added it after the fact when the batter was so thick I figured I must've missed something (and I did). And the salt amount is crazy! I used a 1/2 teaspoon only. I couldn't bring myself to add the full amount. Also I've never purchased buttermilk, I just add a little lemon juice or vinegar to some milk and it does the job perfectly.

Idle Wife:

Thank for the heads up on the milk omission in the instructions. It usually goes in with the buttermilk (I adjusted the post accordingly) but I'm glad adding it in the end worked, too!

These were fantastic!
I've never separated eggs (nor met anyone who has) for pancakes.
I used Greek yogurt though and had to add extra water to make up for the thickness.

This recipe makes a tasty stack of pancakes.

I didn't have any butter milk or yogurt on hand so I mixed 1 T vinegar and 1 C milk and let it set for 5 minutes.

I used 2 T of batter for each cake.

I will never buy "just add water" pancake mix again

Hmmm, I'm going to try this. Separating the eggs is a great idea. Funny, I naturally separate them when I make Dainish pancakes (Aebleskiver). Though I do whip them separately too. Can't wait to try your recipe this weekend. Thanks!

I'm surprised people substitute milk for the equivalent serving of a few tablespoons. I've been lactose intolerant for as long as I remember... I usually eat creamy sauces and bits of ice cream (sometimes pay for it later) but I never would imagine subbing milk with Lactaid. Hope this doesn't come off harsh - I'm just saying I don't know if it's necessary.

Not sure if that completely made sense - what I'm saying is - I would keep using milk in small amounts and avoiding it when you can. I think your body eventually gets used to it in small quantities. But I'm no expert.

I made these last night, and they were freaking awesome! I've tried several different recipes for homemade pancakes, and always ended up wishing I'd just used the store bought mix. Not this time. The whole family agrees this is going to be our recipe from now on.

They look really soft. Love pancakes!

This recipe turned out very good for me. I used yogurt (labne) instead of buttermilk. I don't drink milk so I never have it on hand, can I substitute a homemade nut milk for the regular milk?

Back in the days when Pullman railcars were the preferred mode of transportation in the country all Pullman porters were named George after George Pullman. Pullman cars were not sold to the railroads, but leased, and the porters were employees of the Pullman Railcar Company. George Pullman wanted the porters to be familiar to the riders, so all responded to the name George.

A young salesman of baking goods asked "George" how they could get the breakfast biscuits ready so fast and was told that the company supplied all the dry ingredients pre-blended. That salesman commercialized Bisquick.

As a child, every Saturday morning my dad made Bisquick hotcakes using 50% more milk than the recipe on the box called for. Every Saturday I did the same for my kids. They are grown now, and one day they will do the same for their kids.

The best pancake recipe is the one we grew up with. It may not be yours, but it is mine.

I often separate the eggs and i make sure to make them small (no bigger than 3 inches in diameter). Folding in the egg whites makes a huge difference. They're more like little souffle pancakes that way.

OMG! The new best thing about the weekends is that I can make these delicious pancakes! I just had three with strawberries and maple sirop :d

I always make them with whole grain flour and yogourt and milk instead of butter milk. They are ridiculously good and easy! I also freeze them and have them for breakfast in week days. My baby boy and I love them. Thank you so much!