Table of Contents
- Is cast iron good for pancakes?
- Cast iron vs other cooking materials
- How to cook pancakes in cast iron?
- Recipe: Cast Iron Skillet Pancakes
- Tips and tricks for cast iron use
- How do you keep pancakes from sticking to cast iron?
Pancakes have a short cooking time, so getting them to cook evenly throughout is essential—hot spots are the enemy!
In order to keep them fluffy, you only want to flip pancakes once. Having to flip a pancake more than once will undermine the efforts that went into your batter and preheating your pan.
Recipe: Easy Cast Iron Pancakes
Print RecipeIngredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1½ cups milk, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
Vegetable or coconut oil, for cooking
Tools
Resources
The Field Method for Cast Iron Care
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the milk and vanilla extract. Stir in the melted butter.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until combined (don’t overmix or the pancakes will be tough; a few lumps are fine). If the batter seems too thick, thin it out with a little more milk. Let the batter rest for 10 to 15 minutes (this allows the liquid to hydrate the flour, resulting in a fluffier pancake). At this point, the batter can also be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes (we recommend a No.10 or No.12 Field Skillet, as the larger cooking surface allows for more pancakes to be made at once). Add a teaspoon or so of oil to your skillet (this helps get the pancakes a little crispy). Use a measuring cup or ladle to add ⅓ cupfuls of the batter to the skillet, spacing the pancakes out enough so they won’t touch as they cook.
Lower the heat to medium low and cook the pancakes until bubbles rise to the surface and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side, for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Lower the heat if the pancakes are browning too quickly.
Repeat with the remaining batter, adding a teaspoon of cooking oil with each batch of batter, and adjusting the heat as needed. Cooked pancakes can be kept warm on an oven-safe dish in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.
Serve warm with the toppings of your choice; we love these with sliced bananas and maple syrup.
Note: This batter can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Resist the urge to speed up the preheating process by using high heat; this will overheat your skillet and result in burnt pancakes. Don’t heat your skillet above medium, and you’ll want to turn it down to medium-low before you start pouring your cakes.
To check that the skillet is ready, sprinkle some water on the pan. If the water dances or bubbles a bit before evaporating, your pan is ready for use. If the water turns to steam immediately, the pan is too hot. Let it cool a bit and test again. Once your pan is ready to use, you may want to turn the temperature down slightly so that your pancakes don’t begin to burn.
To keep the pan evenly heated, use a skillet that is similar in size to the burner.
