Pancakes

This is my own personal pancake recipe I settled on after thorough experimentation.  For me, homemade pancakes always seemed to lack an airiness and softness that I craved.  Yes, those fake mcdonalds pancakes and even most diners use artificial mix, but for some reason I craved something akin to that; Homemade pancakes could never achieve that pillowy softness.  After much tinkering, I figured out that using some cake flour in the mix gave me the airy softness I so craved.  I also realized correct technique was as important in creating the best pancake possible.

ingredients:
makes 12 medium sized pancakes.  enough for 4 people

1.  1 3/4 cups king arthur ap flour
2.  3/4 cup Softasilk cake flour
2.  2 TBL granulated sugar
3.  1/2 tsp table salt
4.  2 tsp baking powder
5.  1/2 tsp baking soda
6.  1/2 tsp ground fresh nutmeg - don't compact into spoon

7.  1 1/2 cups of whole milk
8.  1 cup buttermilk
9.  2 large eggs
10.  3 TBL unsalted melted butter, plus extra for the pan

garnish:
11.  4 TBL salted butter - ROOM TEMP SO IT MELTS AS SOON AS ITS PLACED ON TOP OF THE PANCAKES

12.  1/3 Measuring cup


notes:
1.  The salted butter is VERY important.  This alone will bring your pancakes up one notch.  I realized this on a trip to ihop.  Yes, their pancakes are terrible but I noticed the flavor had this extra level of "something".  When I realized it was the salted butter it kind of blew my mind.  Salt is so often overlooked and underrated in sweet dishes.  A sprinkle of salt can literally turn a great dish into an amazing one.  Try sprinkling some coarse salt over freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and you'll know what I mean.
2. The salted butter at room temperature is also very important as it needs to instantly melt as soon as it touches the pancake so it can disperse.
3.  If no salted butter is available, you can improvise by sprinkling 2 healthy pinches of very fine salt across the the top surface of EACH pancake, then melting unsalted butter on top of the pancakes.
4.  The height and thickness of the pancake depends the thickness of the batter which depends on the amount of liquid in it.  But it also depends on the type of liquid used.  By replacing the whole milk with an equal amount of buttermilk, you will get a much thicker batter and pancake.  Reversely, replacing the buttermilk with an equal amount of whole milk will thin out the batter and pancake.  I found that a medium thickness was best.  While thin and thick pancakes are completely fine, I found they were not quite as good textually. 
5.  Pushing the batter and swirling it after you drop it into the pan will severely compromise its height.  I literally just drop the batter into the pan and don't touch it AT ALL to give it as much height as possible.
6.  Cooking them low and slow will produce crusty, tough pancakes while cooking them high and fast will produce a much softer, fluffier pancake.  You literally want to cook these as fast as possible and just enough to cook it through.
7.  While its common practice to make sure you don't over mix, it's also important not to under mix.  Under mixing will result in uneven batter where some sections are too lumpy and others too watery.  Mix thoroughly leaving just a few specs of flour.
8.  Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 10 min after mixing.  This will give you a noticeable improvement in the texture of the pancake.
9.  Covering the pan with a lid while the pancakes cook for me is essential.  It speeds up the cooking time immensely and allows you to flip the pancakes significantly faster than if you did not cover it.
10.  You may keep pancakes in a 200 degree oven while you cook the other pancakes, but DON'T STACK THEM or they will get soggy.  They will also deflate slightly in the oven.


recipe:
1.  Mix dry ingredients well in a bowl.
2.  Mix wet ingredients well in another bowl.
3.  Pour wet into dry and mix thoroughly with a whisk until just a few specs of flour remain.
4.  Place bowl into fridge to rest for 10 min.
5.  Meanwhile, heat up a nonstick pan or cast iron pan over one setting below medium and add a tablespoon of butter.
6.  After a few minutes, wipe down the pan with a paper towel, leaving only a thin film.
note:
its important to heat up the pan for at least a solid 5 minutes to allow it have enough innate heat so the temperature does not drop too much when adding in the batter.
7.  Spoon in exactly 1/3 cup of batter into pan and DON'T TOUCH IT.  If you can fit more than 1 pancake do so.
8.  Immediately cover the pan with a lid and count EXACTLY 1 minute.
9.  Check under the pancake to see if it has browned well.
10.  If the bottom is pale after 1 minute and not browned, increase heat by 1 setting and cook another 30-60 seconds until browned.
11.  If the bottom is too dark after 1 minute, decrease heat by 1 setting and flip asap.
12.  Check the top of the pancake and make sure the edges have begun to set a little.  If not, cover and cook another 30 seconds.
note:
if you attempt to flip the pancakes with the top not set enough, batter will literally just fly off it and completely deform and deflate the pancake.
13.  Slide spatula under pancake quickly and aggressively.  If you slide the spatula under slowly, it can get stuck in the middle of the pancake and when you go to lift it, half the pancake will be dangling off the side causing dripping and breakage.
14.  Quickly and as neatly as possible, flip the pancake over.
15.  Cover with lid, and cook for another minute.
16.  Check the bottom of the pancake to see if it has sufficiently browned.  If not, cover and cook another 30-60 seconds and increase heat by 1 setting if you think it is necessary.
17.  After well browned, transfer to plate or oven and allow to rest for 1 minute before eating to allow the insides to settle.
18.  Drop another tablespoon of butter in the pan, allow to melt for 1 minute, wipe down with a paper towel and cook the other pancakes.
19.  Before serving, add a tablespoon of room temperature salted butter on top.  Drown in syrup and enjoy.  Bacon or breakfast sausage on the side is a great addition.