This Simple Step Makes Pancakes Taste Totally Diner-Worthy - Tasting Table

"The line between the best pancakes and terrible ones is about half an inch thick - where instead of stacking up tall and proud, your pancakes end up flat, dense and kind of sad. And on those occasions when you don't end up biting into buttery, pillowy pancakes as planned, you can be left wondering whether to ditch the batter and fry some eggs instead. We've all been there. The good news is that with one simple step, pancakes can always be diner-worthy: All you need to do is bring your ingredients to room temperature."

"The reason for this is that cold solid ingredients don't blend in evenly with the batter. Using cold eggs and milk can lead to lumps in your batter as well. But if all your ingredients are at room temperature, the eggs are looser and the butter softer and it's much easier to combine them and they can trap air more easily. Result: A nice, consistent batter. This all allows the baking powder to play its part as a leavening agent by adding even more air bubbles to the mix which brings extra fluffiness while cooking."

Bringing eggs, milk, and butter to room temperature before mixing yields consistently light, fluffy pancakes. Typical batter includes flour, milk, butter, egg, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cold ingredients resist blending and can create lumps, producing flat, dense pancakes. Room-temperature eggs are looser and butter is softer, which eases incorporation and allows the batter to trap more air. Properly mixed batter lets baking powder distribute and form additional air bubbles during cooking, increasing lift. For extra loft, separate egg whites and whip to soft peaks, then gently fold them into the batter to create soufflé-style pancakes.

Read at Tasting Table