What Are Original Pancake House Pancakes Made Of?

The Original Pancake House (TOPH) is a popular family restaurant chain known for its signature pancakes and breakfast dishes. TOPH was founded in 1953 by Les Highet and Erma Hueneke in Portland, Oregon (Wikipedia). Over the past 70 years, it has expanded to over 100 locations across the United States and parts of Canada.

TOPH is especially renowned for its sweet and savory pancakes made from scratch using high-quality ingredients. Some of their most popular pancake offerings include the Apple Pancake, Potato Pancake, and Dutch Baby. The light and fluffy texture of TOPH’s pancakes sets them apart from typical diner-style pancakes. Customers also praise TOPH’s broad selection of pancake flavors and topping options.

Basic Ingredients

The basic ingredients for most standard pancake recipes include:

• Flour – All-purpose flour is most commonly used. The flour provides structure and texture to the pancakes. Most recipes call for 1 cup of flour.
• Eggs – Eggs help bind the batter together and add richness. Recipes typically call for 1-2 eggs.
• Milk – Milk adds moisture and tenderness to pancakes. Cow’s milk or buttermilk are commonly used, around 1 cup.
• Leavening Agents – Baking powder and/or baking soda are used to make pancakes fluffy. Around 1-2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of flour.

These core ingredients form the basic batter for most pancake recipes. The ratios and types may vary slightly, but flour, eggs, milk, and leavening agents like baking powder are essential for light and fluffy pancakes.

Unique Ingredients

Some of the ingredients that make Original Pancake House pancakes unique are sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

Sour cream adds a tangy flavor and moisture to the pancakes. It also acts as a tenderizer, resulting in fluffier pancakes. According to The Original Pancake House, their secret sourdough yeast starter includes sour cream as one of the key ingredients.

Fresh lemon juice adds brightness and acidity, enhancing the flavors. The Original Pancake House says they use only fresh squeezed lemon juice in their pancakes for the best flavor.

Pure vanilla extract provides aromatic vanilla notes. Original Pancake House uses real vanilla rather than artificial vanilla which gives the pancakes a richer, more complex flavor.

The combination of sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract gives Original Pancake House pancakes a light, moist, and fluffy texture with a tangy sweetness that their customers love.

Wet Ingredients

The wet ingredients for Original Pancake House pancakes include:

Milk: Whole milk is used to add moisture and richness to the batter. Milk helps make the pancakes fluffier (https://www.originalpancakehouse.com/ph_pancakes.html).

Eggs: Fresh grade A eggs add protein and structure to the batter. The eggs help the pancakes rise and develop their signature airy texture (https://www.originalpancakehouse.com/ph_pancakes.html).

Sour Cream: Sour cream contributes a tangy flavor and acidity to the batter. It reacts with baking soda for extra rise (https://originalpancakehouse.com/QualityFeatures.pdf).

Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract provides a subtle background flavor and aroma. It rounds out the sweeter notes in the batter.

Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives the pancakes a bright, citrusy note. The acidity also aids with leavening.

Dry Ingredients

The dry ingredients for Original Pancake House pancakes include all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.¹ The flour provides structure and texture to the batter. A combination of all-purpose and cake flours is used, with each comprising half of the total flour amount. The cake flour lends a softer, cake-like texture to the pancakes.

Baking powder is also a key dry ingredient, as it reacts with the wet ingredients to produce carbon dioxide bubbles that make the pancakes light and fluffy. Approximately 2 teaspoons of baking powder are used per batch.

A small amount of salt, around 1/4 teaspoon, balances out the sweetness and enhances the other flavors. Granulated white sugar adds sweetness to the batter, with around 2 1/2 tablespoons used.

Ratios

The Original Pancake House is well known for their exceptionally fluffy and light pancakes. Their signature texture comes down to using the right ratios of ingredients.

For the flour to liquid ratio, Original Pancake House uses around 1.25 to 1.5 cups of flour for every 1 cup of liquid (milk and eggs). According to the copycat recipe on Simple Joy, their ratio is 1.5 cups flour to 1 cup liquid [1]. This higher proportion of flour to liquid gives their pancakes a thicker, fluffier texture.

The fat ratio also impacts texture. Original Pancake House uses approximately 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil per 1.5 cups of flour. Fat tenderizes the gluten strands, leading to a softer and more tender crumb. The Mr. Breakfast recipe calls for 2 tablespoons oil for 2 cups of flour [2].

Finally, the leavening ratio contributes to rise. Original Pancake House uses about 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per 1.5 cups flour. This double leavening gives their pancakes impressive lift. The carbon dioxide bubbles created by the baking powder and baking soda make the batter airy and light.

Mixing Method

The mixing method for making Original Pancake House style pancakes is important for getting the right texture. Over-mixing the batter can result in dense, rubbery pancakes. According to the recipe on Simple Joy, the wet and dry ingredients should be mixed separately first.

For the wet ingredients like eggs, oil, and milk, mix just until incorporated. When adding the dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, and salt, mix briefly just until there are no lumps of flour remaining.

Once the batter is mixed, it’s important to avoid over-mixing. Let the batter rest for a few minutes before cooking. This allows the baking powder time to react with the other ingredients and helps prevent over-mixing the gluten in the flour which can make the pancakes tough.

The key is mixing just enough to combine everything without over-working the batter. A few lumps are okay. Letting the batter rest for 5-10 minutes leads to fluffier, lighter pancakes. (https://www.simplejoy.com/copycat-pancake-house-pancakes/)

Cooking Method

The key to cooking light and fluffy pancakes like Original Pancake House is to use a very hot griddle and only flip the pancakes once. Here are the steps for cooking OPH-style pancakes:

Preheat your griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. The griddle should be hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates right away when flicked onto the surface. Coating the griddle with a thin layer of butter helps prevent sticking.

Pour the batter onto the hot griddle using a 1/4 cup measure for each pancake. Allow the pancakes to cook undisturbed until the tops begin to bubble, about 2 minutes. Resist the urge to press down on the pancakes or peek underneath.

Carefully flip each pancake and continue cooking for another minute or two until the bottoms are lightly browned. The pancakes should have a delicate, lacy texture.

Serve the pancakes right away with butter and your favorite syrup. Any pancakes that need to be held should be kept warm in a 200°F oven.

Serving Suggestions

Part of the joy of eating Original Pancake House pancakes is topping them just how you like them. There are many delicious ways to serve OPH pancakes to suit your taste and sweet tooth:

Some popular pancake toppings offered at OPH include: blueberries, apples, strawberries, bananas, pecans, and chocolate chips. Fresh fruit adds a delightful sweetness and texture contrast to pancakes.

For syrup, OPH offers classic maple syrup as well as flavored syrups like raspberry and boysenberry. According to their menu, they use only 100% pure Vermont maple syrup, which has an iconic maple flavor pancake lovers crave.

A pat of creamy butter is another traditional pancake accessory that adds a rich, velvety component when melted over a hot-off-the-griddle pancake. OPH serves individual tubs of butter with their pancake plates.

Some customers also enjoy adding a dash of powdered sugar or squeezing fresh lemon over their pancake stack for extra sweet-tart balance.

Ultimately, the beauty of Original Pancake House pancakes is you can customize them with your favorite toppings and flavors to create a personalized, mouthwatering breakfast.

Conclusion

In summary, Original Pancake House pancakes are made with simple, high-quality ingredients like eggs, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter. The proper ratios of wet to dry ingredients, along with careful mixing and cooking techniques, result in their signature light, fluffy, and delicious texture. Their tried-and-true recipe withstands the test of time because it consistently delivers moist, tender, and flavorful pancakes. People keep coming back to the Original Pancake House for their famous pancakes because they are comforting classics done right.

The delicious taste and texture comes down to the balance of ingredients, the method of mixing, and the heat control while cooking. When properly executed, these techniques yield irresistibly fluffy pancakes with a hint of sweetness that are difficult to duplicate at home. The Original Pancake House has perfected the formula over decades to create pancakes worth traveling for.