15 Ideas To Make Pearl Milling Pancakes Better
NOTE: If you still have a box of Aunt Jemima pancake mix and you are confused, all these tips apply to that mix, too. In fact, it is the same mix, only the name has changed.
Generally, Pearl Milling pancakes turn out great. However, they are a little denser than regular batter pancakes, and therefore, there are a few things you can do to make them taste better and fluffier. So, how can Pearl Milling pancakes be improved?
Make Pearl Milling pancakes better by adding mashed banana, grated apple, pumpkin puree, or blueberries to the batter. Adding extra baking powder, melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs, cheese, buttermilk, and sifting the mix are excellent ideas for improving the pancake mix. Choosing the right pan and knowing when to flip is also essential.
Experimenting with and improving recipes are always my favorite activities. Therefore, enhancing Pearl Milling pancakes is something I know a lot about. In the following paragraphs, I will give you ideas on how to improve Pearl Milling’s pancakes and how to decorate them.
Here’s how to improve Pearl Milling pancake mix
Pearl Milling pancake mix is great as it is. Moreover, it is a ready-made pancake mix that works excellent on its own; you should just add water and oil. However, since there’s always room for improvement, you can do a few things to upgrade even a great idea, such as Pearl Milling pancake mix.
1. Add eggs
Pearl Milling pancake mix is a complete ready-made mix, and basically, you don’t have to add anything but water and oil. However, adding eggs to the mix can significantly improve the pancakes’ taste.
Separating the whites from the yolks and whisking them separately before adding them to the mix will give you fluffy and delicious pancakes. The foamy eggs lighten your pancake batter and make it airy and creamy.
2. Add melted butter
Melted butter works excellent as an addition to Pearl Milling’s pancake mix. The mix itself is a bit denser than regular pancake batter, and the butter will soften it and make it easier for air bubbles to form. The result will be soft, rich, and airy, light pancakes.
Moreover, your pancake mix will use some extra fat, which will give you highly satiating pancakes with a soft buttery consistency ideal for sweet and savory combinations.
3. Add buttermilk or milk
Since Pearl Milling’s pancake mix is dairy-free, adding buttermilk or milk is a great refreshment to the batter. The buttermilk or milk will add creaminess and richness to your pancakes and make them as good as possible.
However, buttermilk is the better option, as it won’t add moisture to the batter as milk would. It is good to whip the buttermilk before mixing it with the other ingredients. This way, air will easily penetrate the batter and make your pancakes fluffy and light.
Another bonus is the added proteins, so adding buttermilk or milk to your pancake mix will make them more nutritious and increase their quality.
4. Add almond flour and cocoa powder
If you are a chocolate lover, then opting for cocoa powder and almond flour isn’t a bad idea. However, if you choose these add-ins, make sure you add 2 tablespoons of milk for each tablespoon of almond flour.
5. Consider adding fruits
Personally, the best addition to pancake mix is the fruits. It could be banana, grated apple, pears, blueberries, raspberries, or anything else that crosses your mind.
Some fruits will make your pancakes sweeter, such as bananas. And some will make them a little bit sour, such as some types of apples and pears. So, choose carefully and adapt the recipe according to the result you want to get.
6. Make Pearl Milling pumpkin pancakes
Make an unexpected twist on Pearl Milling pancakes by adding the pumpkin puree to the batter. Pumpkin itself is sweet and loveable among many, so I believe that it will be a great addition.
However, don’t overdo the amount to avoid making the batter too runny. To be on the safe side, for each tablespoon of pumpkin puree, add ½ tablespoon of flour.
7. Add cheese
Ricotta cheese has been known for its use in pancake batter. The creamy consistency of the ricotta and its rich and neutral taste fit in perfectly in your pancake combination. Moreover, ricotta cheese will make the pancake batter more homogenous and stable, making your pancakes significantly less sticky and easy to flip.
Ricotta is also famous as a healthy cheese, so in addition to getting tasty pancakes, you will also get pancakes that are beneficial for your gut health.
8. Add vanilla flavoring
The vanilla flavor goes hand in hand with the mild and gentle pancakes’ taste. It will enrich your batter and make your kitchen smell like a bakery. The vanilla flavoring won’t overwhelm the pancakes or dominate them, but it will discretely enrich them.
By adding vanilla flavoring to your pancake mix, you will create an excellent base to enrich further the flavor you get from the toppings.
9. Sift the Pearl Milling pancake mix
Although you don’t have to sift the Pearl Milling pancake mix, as it is fine enough, it won’t do you any harm sifting it before adding the wet ingredients. Sifting the mixture will refine and smoothen it, and the entire batter will be easier to homogenize, leaving little to no lumps. Hence, sifting will make Pearl Milling pancakes better.
Sifting is often omitted, and many consider it unnecessary, but that cannot be further from the truth. Sifting does not only break the lumps but also aerates the pancake mix. Therefore it is especially necessary if your mix has been sitting in your pantry.
10. Mix carefully
The mechanical damage of the batter bonds will result in a thin batter and sticky pancakes. Stirring the batter gently and slowly will make the consistency creamy and smooth, and your pancakes will be easy to cook.
Stirring is one of the most critical but sadly underrated steps in pancake-making. It is considered a necessity, more than a technique, and many tend to just get it over with. We tend to get rougher with the lumps trying to break them, but we should gently dissolve them instead of breaking them.
However, mastering the stirring will result in smooth, elastic, and fluffy pancakes.
11. Don’t be stingy with the baking powder
Even though the baking powder is already in the Pearl Milling mix, it is always good advice to add some extra. Baking powder is a leavening agent, and the more your batter leavens, the fluffier the pancakes will be.
Leavening means that air bubbles will form inside the batter, changing its consistency from dense to airy. As a result, the pancakes will be softer, more elastic, less sticky, and easy to flip.
12. Timing is everything
It is a terrible idea to make the batter way before you are ready to cook the pancakes, but it is just as wrong to make it and cook the pancakes a minute later. The batter needs time to rest, so the best time to make it is to have it ready about 15 minutes before cooking.
The batter will have enough time to set, the consistency will stabilize, and the starch molecules from the flour will have enough time to disperse through the entire batter.
13. Add flour
Adding extra flour will absorb excess moisture from the Pearl Milling pancake batter. Because it is a bit denser than a regular batter, Pearl Milling mix tends to harden when the batter is mixed together.
Therefore, adding sifted flour to the mix will help soften it because it will absorb the excess moisture from the Pearl Milling mix.
14. Use sparkling instead of still water
Carbonated beverages are richer in oxygen than non-carbonated ones. Instead of the sill, sparkling water in your pancake batter will add abundant air bubbles to the mix, making your Pearl Milling pancakes lighter than air.
Sparkling water will also make the mixture easier to stir and help you shape the pancakes more easily. The air bubbles will add elasticity to the pancakes, simplifying their flipping and making them more stable while cooking.
If you don’t have carbonated water handy, you can add baking soda to still water and mix it with a spoon. The soda is carbonized, and it will release air bubbles, turning the still water into a version of sparkling water. It won’t be the same, but it is close enough.
15. Add spices
A touch of nutmeg, cinnamon, or lemon zest can go with Pearl Milling pancake mix. While the vanilla flavoring will give a pleasant aroma to the pancakes, adding another stronger spice to the batter will define the pancakes.
When mixing the dry ingredients, it is better to add the spices, as they will disperse evenly through the mixture. If you add them after the wet ingredients, they will form clusters onto a few batter points, and they won’t even out. As a result, some of your pancakes will be spice-free, and others will be too spiced up.
Additional tips for baking Pearl Milling pancakes
Besides the abovementioned ideas, let’s not forget that the non-flavor-related factors also impact the taste of your Pearl Milling pancakes.
A Granit pan or cast-iron skillet is the way to go when cooking Pearl Milling pancakes. The regular pancake pans work great, but Pearl Milling isn’t a regular pancake mix, and therefore it requires a more specific pan.
The size of the pancakes is also essential. Too big pancakes will be harder to cook, so make them smaller than the regular size. If your pancakes are too big, they burn at the edges when they cook through to the middle.
Before making the batter, see that your kitchen isn’t too humid. The batter will absorb humidity from the kitchen and become difficult to work with. It may become unstable, and you will have difficulty scooping the batter, let alone shaping it in the pan.
Be patient, and don’t flip too soon. Make sure your pancakes are well cooked on one side before you flip them to the other side. Be gentle and completely separate them from the pan before turning them over when you flip them.
And finally, let’s not forget the topping. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the toppings; add whatever you like, no matter how far-fetched. Your pancakes are your canvas, so feel free to make them as you like them the best.
Decorating Pearl Milling pancakes
Decorating Pearl Milling pancakes is just as fun as decorating regular batter pancakes. The standard way is to mix liquid/creamy and hard ingredients. You can decorate your Pearl Milling pancakes with your favorite pancakes toppings/sides.
Banana slices and melted chocolate with some chocolate sprinkles are a fun and delicious solution if you are in a celebratory mood.
Top your pancakes with honey and crushed nuts for a more elegant and refined effect. Another great idea is to combine honey and orange slices sprinkled with crushed chocolate. You can never go wrong with maple syrup and berries.
If you are craving something zesty, cream cheese or crème Fraiche will be an elegant and rich decoration for your pancakes. And if you like experimenting, top the cream cheese/crème Fraiche with some strawberries or cherries.
Whipped cream and chocolate shavings are always a good idea, especially if you are into cake-like desserts. And if you like a simpler yet rich topping/decoration, feel free to top your pancakes with some melted butter combined with nuts and raisins.
