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Soufflé pancakes, also known as Japanese fluffy pancakes, are loved for their cloud-like texture and jiggly nature. Unlike European pancakes, which are typically thin and crispy, a soufflé pancake can be up to two inches high.
Cream Pot in Waikiki, Hawaii, claims to have invented the original recipe, but it was at Cafe Micasadeco in Tokyo that these airy treats became mainstream. Today they are made and loved around the world: Fuwa Fuwa in Paris serves a tiramisu version; Gram Cafe in Sydney tops its take with biscoff and matcha cream. Flipper’s in New York serves a stack so tall that it’s suggested you eat them with two forks.
Mastering the art of making soufflé pancakes is a tricky but rewarding process; it might take you a few goes. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to have as much trouble with these as I did,” says Kristin Atwood, founder of production house Chef Studio. “My first tip would be to buy enough ingredients to make multiple batches in case the first one goes awry.”
Start by whisking your egg whites – eight to make four pancakes. “The main priority is to keep the batter as fluffy as possible,” says Atwood, who advises checking that your mixing bowl is “totally clean” before beginning. Any oily residue or water in the bowl will interfere with the egg white proteins, trapping air and resulting in a thin or sparse mixture.
Atwood whips her egg whites into soft peaks before adding in granulated sugar (50g), then finishes them off into stiff peaks.
Kat Lieu, a Seattle-based cookbook author and founder of the online community Subtle Asian Baking, suggests using eggs that are room temperature to make it easier to whip them into peaks (cold eggs can shock and stiffen batter). She also prefers a stand mixer over manual whisking. “It’ll take you forever to hand mix the egg whites into stiff peaks,” she says.
Once your whites are ready, make a second batter using egg yolks – one per pancake – with milk (15g), plain flour (33g), sugar (10g) and 4g of baking powder. This is added slowly into the egg whites with a rubber spatula, about a third of the mixture at a time. “If you under-fold, your pancake batter ends up being inconsistent,” says Lieu. “If you over-fold, you end up with flat pancakes… so you might as well have just made regular pancakes. It takes a bit of practice.”
Atwood recommends frying the pancakes as quickly as possible – about three to six minutes on each side – in a pre-heated non-stick pan. She opts for a high-smoke-point oil (sunflower, vegetable or avocado) and uses a piping bag to mould the batter into 3in circles. Focus on piping the mixture high, not wide; the batter will spread slightly on its own.
Holly Thomson, an editor at online cooking site Sous Chef, uses steel rings to make her pancakes higher. Lieu points to silicon versions found at Asian supermarkets. Both need to be greased with a healthy amount of butter. “The pancakes stick very easily,” explains Thomson.
Once your batter is sizzling in the pan, Lieu and Atwood both spoon in a tablespoon of water and cover with a lid to cook the batter through without burning it. Keep the pan on a low-to-medium heat until the edges are golden brown but the middle is still thick and custardy. You’ll know your pancake is ready for flipping when tiny bubbles appear on the surface.
“Flipping is a bit of an art form,” says Thomson, who uses a large spatula to slide underneath her rings before she begins. “You just have to be bold and quick about it so it doesn’t fall apart.”
Once you’ve flipped, add more water and cover with the lid again. The pancakes are done when their bottoms are a light brown colour and are no longer sticky to the touch.
“There’s about one minute where they will jiggle,” says Lieu, who likes her pancakes with syrup and icing sugar. Atwood favours raspberries and blueberries, while Thomson alternates between miso caramel with chunks of butter and matcha-topped whipped cream. The final texture will almost be like an angel food cake. “They’re a little bit chewy and almost meringue-y,” says Atwood.
My pancakes often fail to measure up to the versions I’ve seen in café; I’ve never got the perfect jiggle. My backup option is to go to CA Japanese Pancakes in Chiswick or Bayswater’s Fluffy Fluffy. “There’s some magic that people do in the Japanese cafés that keep [the pancakes] tall and fluffy,” says Lieu. But take that as a challenge: how high can you go?
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