posted
So I'm making pancakes. The recipe calls for flour, milk, and egg yolks to be mixed into batter, then left to stand for half an hour. Since there's no yeast, what's the purpose of letting it stand?
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Yeast isn't the only thing that makes things rise. In pancakes, the rising agent is usually baking soda (either alone or as a part of baking powder).
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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My grandma in law said sitting was the only way tp make yorkshire pudding smooth. She'd whip it every 30 minutes or so all sunday afternoon. It probably did have yeast by then.
Eggs are a sort of rising agent in that they hold bubbles that expand in cooking.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Huh. Every pancake recipe I've used has baking powder in it. Hard to imagine pancakes working without it.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I don't know about pancakes, but for crepes if you don't let the batter stand, then it won't hold together nearly as well. I make crepes fairly regularly and didn't have time to let it stand last weekend--they fell apart.
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
The crepes I learned to make in Germany were just flour, egg, and milk, and they did not require any standing to turn out delicious. Probably a consistency thing - I couldn't tell you the exact amounts of anything, you just learn by eyeballing it.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
I wouldn't think baking powder leavening would be able to work as well if it is let to stand. The rise comes in the chemical reaction of the acid and alkali elements, and standing would just allow those air bubbles to dissipate*. Alton Brown always advocated adding the liquid to the dry ingredients of baking powder goods (pancakes, biscuits, etc) immediately before baking/cooking, and no sooner.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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It allows the flour to soak up some of the water, as opposed to having the individual flour granules being dry and just surrounded by water.
Posts: 3 | Registered: May 2008
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