Breakfast or snack, we all want our pancakes fluffy and healthy. Pancakes are very delicious with cream and sweet syrup plus toppings of your choice, and depending on some extra ingredients, you can make it very healthy too.
Preparing the pancake mix can take some time so if you are rushing in the morning but would love to have pancakes for breakfast, you can have it ready the night before.
Yes, you can prepare your pancake mix to be cooked the next morning. You can prepare the batter and leave it overnight in your fridge or even for a few days just be sure to use airtight food containers before keeping it in your fridge.
Know your different pancake mix and how to refrigerate it properly as I describe it here.
What Happens When You Refrigerate Pancake Batter Overnight?
You can make several recipes of pancakes with your choice of ingredients however, if you like your pancakes to be fluffy and smooth, you should consider how your ingredients can affect its texture or consistency as well as its taste.
Your ingredients can also affect how the batter will rise when left overnight or stored in the fridge.
With these in mind, you must know your recipe well and choose the right food containers where you would keep them as there are lots of food containers available in the market.
Refrigerating Pancake Batter: Thin Pancakes or Crepes
Preparing your pancake batter the night before saves time if you want pancakes for breakfast. If you like to create thin crepes and pancakes, you must be cautious when mixing the dry ingredients like flour and baking soda with the wet ingredients like egg, butter, or milk.
You can start mixing the wet and dry ingredients with a spatula to press on lumps thereby removing air or bubbles. Then, you can whisk it to make an even smoother mix and you can make a perfect crepe.
Refrigerating Pancake Batter That Contains Baking Soda
A leavening agent formally called sodium bicarbonate and commonly called baking soda in households is what we use in baking bread and pastries including pancakes. This makes the pancake batter to rise and when cooked, gives pancake the light and fluffy effect.
Always check your recipe for the amount of baking soda you will need to add to flour to make the pancake batter because too little amount of it can make your pancake flat and tough, while too much can make it taste unpleasant.
Also, it will not be good to store a recipe with baking soda overnight as it greatly affects the leavening process, add baking soda only when you are going to cook it anytime soon.
Refrigerating Pancake Batter That Contains Baking Powder
Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents, but they are chemically different. Baking soda is a base, and it is three to four times stronger than baking powder while baking power is simply a mixture of baking soda. It is composed mainly of starch, cream of tartar and just enough amount of baking soda for leavening.
Baking powder is what cooks commonly use to leaven cakes and pastries. However, just like baking soda you have to know the exact amount to use on your batter because a little amount can make your pancake flat and rigid and too much of it can make your pancake taste metallic.
Remember that enough amount of baking powder will make your pancake fluffy just the way you like it and just like using baking soda, add it to the batter only when you will cook it the soonest.
Refrigerating Pancake Batter That Contains Yeast
There are different types of yeast we can used for baking like the fresh yeast, active dry yeast, and the instant yeast. Each of these yeasts has different properties and can affect food texture and taste depending on the amount used.
Like baking powder, we can use it for leavening our cakes and bread and we can also use it with our pancakes.
Fortunately, this is the best option to use in your batter if you want to prepare it earlier and leave it overnight. Some people even said that leaving a yeasted batter overnight before cooking it is even better that preparing it and cooking it right after.
Refrigerating Buttermilk Pancake Batter Overnight
Adding buttermilk in pancakes make it thick and moist . It also makes it taste subtle with a bit of tang and compliments toppings you might what to add to your pancake.
When you add buttermilk in your batter it reacts with the baking soda and make it rise than usual, and it is not a good thing to leave it overnight.
It is better if you use yeast instead of baking soda if you want to leave it overnight and just add the buttermilk when you are about to cook it. This is the best option if you want buttermilk mixed with your batter to not affect its consistency.
Refrigerating Pancake Batter That Contains Egg Whites
The batter prepared to make pancakes or waffles that has baking soda or yeast as leavening agents are not recommended to be stored or refrigerated overnight because it reacts right away thus it loses its effect the following morning. With this, some people choose to use egg whites to moisten and leaven the batter.
Other recipes like pancake batter are added with whisked egg whites as leavening ingredient instead of baking soda but again it is best to add it just right before cooking to have that fluffy effect on pancake.
Yes, you can still prepare your batter and leave it refrigerated overnight but leave the egg white to be added for the morrow.
How to Store Pancake Batter Overnight
You can always prepare the batter and store in it your fridge overnight to save time preparing it in the morning and you may consider these tips:
For best results, this is how to refrigerate pancake batter overnight:
- Keep the batter in a tightly sealed container so air and other food odor inside the fridge cannot sip in.
- I recommended covering the container with a food wrap before putting its lid to ensure that no air can sip in.
Another method for refrigerating pancake batter overnight:
- You can use a plastic zipped lock bag as batter container.
- Be sure to squeeze the air out of the bad before closing the zip.
- When you are about to cook, just cut one corner of the bag and squeeze it out into a pancake batter dispenser.
Other tips for cooking pancakes at home:
A big empty plastic bottle that is easy to squeeze can be used as batter container. It will be handy when cooking large quantity because you can easily squeeze it on the pan. Just be sure to balance the amount to come up with the same pancake sizes.
Always remember that storing pancake batter with baking soda overnight is not the best choice as it loses its leavening power overnight.
Use yeast instead if you want to rest it overnight and be ready for cooking in the morning.
Also, it is not recommended to add milk or egg whites and leave it overnight. Just add them when you are about to cook them. It will not take much time if you want a fluffy and moist pancake.
Related Questions
Does pancake batter need resting time?
Resting the batter before cooking is not really a bad idea. When you store batter overnight is a rest period itself but be wary of the ingredients you added to the batter if you intend to let it rest overnight. Some ingredients on batter when left for some time can affect its taste and consistency.
Mixing or whisking the batter can always be good for before cooking it, anything more or less than that can change the texture of you pancake.
Can I freeze the pancake batter?
Certainly, freezing the batter is a good idea if you want to keep it untouched for a week to a month and that you will not cook it the following morning.
Be sure to store it in a sealed container before freezing it. Remember that it is not a good idea to freeze batter with baking soda or yeast.
When you prepare frozen batter for cooking, thaw it first. Mix it and check the consistency then add baking soda or egg white before cooking.
Can I refrigerate cooked pancakes?
Of course, you can refrigerate or freeze cooked pancakes if you need to store them for weeks or a month.
You can keep pancakes in a dry container or wrap it individually for convenience of getting it as a single pack if you need to reheat them.
You can easily reheat refrigerated pancakes in your oven or on a pan. If its frozen, you need to thaw it before reheating it. It is very handy when you are in a rush for a good meal.
