Use a trustworthy pancake recipe. Typical ingredients are flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, milk, eggs, and butter. Buttermilk and whole wheat pancakes are also available.
Heat your pan or griddle over medium heat before adding pancake batter. It ensures consistent frying and prevents pancake sticking.
Use a ladle or measuring cup to pour the pancake batter onto the pan. Aim for pancakes that are about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter each, depending on the size you prefer.
Mix the pancake batter until just combined. Overmixing can result in tough pancakes due to overdeveloped gluten. It's okay if there are some lumps in the batter.
The batter should be thick enough to hold its shape on the pan but still pourable. If it's too thick, add a little more milk. If it's too thin, add a bit more flour.
Once you pour the batter onto the pan, watch for bubbles to form on the surface of the pancakes. When the bubbles start to pop and leave little craters that stay open, it's time to flip the pancakes.
Use a spatula to gently flip the pancakes. Be careful not to splash hot batter on yourself. Cook the pancakes on the other side until golden brown.
When making a large batch of pancakes, place them on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at a low temperature (about 200°F or 95°C) while you finish cooking the remainder.
Add chocolate chips, blueberries, bananas, or almonds to your pancakes. For added flavor, add vanilla, cinnamon, or citrus zest to the batter.