I Tried the Viral TikTok Pancake Hack—and It Was Totally Worth the Hype

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@lilypcrumbs Replying to @Briana RECIPE IN CAPTION!! this pancake recipe is my go to in all forms. All my gilmore girls i hope you get the Al’s Pancake reference. #pancakerecipe #bestpancakes #brunchideas #sundaysinbrooklyn ♬ There She Goes – The La’s

What makes these TikTok pancakes different?

I already mentioned that these pancakes differ in a number of ways from traditionally made pancakes—and they bypass many of the pancake woes people face. First, the recipe makes one giant pancake big enough to satisfy two to three people (depending on the size of your pan and your appetite), so you don’t need to worry about inconsistencies in cook and color across your batch.

Second, there’s no flipping required. Yes, you read that right: No. Flipping. Talk about a game-changer! Once you see the bubbles appear on the surface of your pancake, which typically signals that it’s time to flip, you simply transfer your pan to the oven to finish cooking the pancake there. Once it’s done, you turn it out onto your plate and enjoy. Just like this TikTok hack for making fresh apple juice, it couldn’t be simpler.

The finished texture of these pancakes is also slightly different than what you’re probably used to. Instead of soft, fluffy, uniform pancakes, these pancakes are crispy on one side and soft on the other. Spoiler alert: I don’t think I’ll be going back to non-crispy pancakes ever again, but more on that below.

How to use the TikTok pancake hack

Ingredients

Alex says that if you have a go-to buttermilk pancake recipe, you can use it with this method. But if not, you can use her recipe (like I did):

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil and 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, for the pan

You’ll also need …

• 1 medium-size, oven-safe skillet. I used a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, but if you have an oven-safe nonstick skillet, you can use that if you prefer. This recipe will work with any size skillet between 8 and 11 inches.
• 1 mixing bowl, to prepare the batter

Directions

Making pancakes using this TikTok pancake hack is arguably easier than the traditional method for making pancakes. It took about 20 minutes total to make the pancake, and it could not have been easier.

Step 1: Preheat the oven

Alex puts this farther down the list of steps in her recipe, but you really should do it first so your oven is hot when it’s time for the pancake to go in. Preheat to 375°F.

Step 2: Make the batter

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Next, add the buttermilk and egg, stirring to combine. Then, stir in the melted butter. You can use a spatula or a whisk, provided you use the whisk the right way.

Step 3: Heat your pan

Place an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and butter.

Step 4: Add the batter

Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, pour in all of your batter. It should start bubbling and sizzling around the edges right away.

Step 5: Transfer to the oven

Just like with traditional pancakes, cook your pancake until little bubbles begin to cover the surface, which will take a few minutes. Once those bubbles appear, transfer the pan to the oven, and cook until the pancake is cooked through. Alex says this should take about 5 minutes, though my pancake took closer to 12 minutes to cook.

Step 6: Remove and serve

Once your pancake is cooked through, take it out of the oven, turn it out onto a plate and enjoy.

Here’s how my pancakes turned out

Put simply, I don’t think I’ll ever make pancakes any other way again. The side of the pancake that was down in the pan had a brown, crispy, almost caramelized finish, and the rest of the pancake was thick, fluffy and mouthwatering. What’s more, the crispy side helped the pancake hold its shape, while the lighter side soaked up all the syrup on my plate. I also loved how hands-off and effortless this method was. I ate about half the pancake and was very full as a result, so a pancake made in a 9- to 10-inch skillet could easily be split between two or three people.

As I mentioned earlier, you do need to preheat the oven before you start making the batter, not after. And my pancake took longer to cook through in the oven than Alex’s did (though not much longer than the internet’s other pancake hack, ice cube pancakes, would). It was easy to tell by looking at it whether it was done or not.

When I flipped my pancake out of the pan, the crispy side separated a little from the rest of the pancake, which may have been due to the fact that I used a cast-iron skillet. (It wasn’t nonstick, and it transfers heat faster than a nonstick skillet would.) However, this did not affect the taste of the pancake or the texture of each delicious bite.

Other secrets for perfect pancakes

Keep these tips in mind when you try this TikTok pancake hack.

• Keep the stove at medium heat. Since you don’t flip these pancakes, it’s crucial that you don’t start the stove too hot and burn the underside of your pancake before it goes in the oven.
• Don’t confuse batter bubbles with cooking bubbles. Pancake batter is naturally a little lumpy and bubbly. Once you pour the batter into your pan, wait for new bubbles to pop up all over the surface before you transfer it to the oven.
• Don’t overcook. Even though my pancake took twice as long in the oven as Alex’s, still start with 5 or 6 minutes and begin checking your pancake from there—you don’t want to overcook it and dry it out. The pancake is done when it no longer looks wet on the top, your finger comes away clean and the pancake springs back slightly when you press on it.
• Mix it up. Once you’ve perfected this method, try adding one of these delicious pancake mix-ins. Have a little fun—this TikTok pancake hack is nearly foolproof!

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