What Japanese pancakes really are + how to make them gluten + grain free

If you enjoy international food trends, or perhaps your kids do, this is a fun weekend breakfast! Like a classic stack, Japanese soufflé pancakes can be flavored any which way you enjoy, from chocolate to matcha. With the proper technique and formula for a classic soufflé, you can take weekend brunch from flat to insanely fluffy!

What are Japanese pancakes?

While the Japanese pancake craze gained speed in the eateries of its namesake country, the technique for creating a fluffy, jiggly pancake is classic French cuisine. Japanese pancakes are, technically, not really pancakes at all. The viral delights are more stove-top soufflés than anything else. And delicious ones at that!

The art of the soufflé

While the idea of soufflés spook even professional cooks, the French dish is a simple combination of an egg yolk-based sauce lightened by whipped egg whites. With Japanese pancakes, the sauce is any version of a yolk-only pancake batter you can dream up.

The soufflé technique

No fluffy and sinful soufflé - Japanese pancake or otherwise - can be achieved without the proper technique. And in this case, it's a simple one.

The classic French soufflé technique is to gently fold soft-whipped egg whites or meringue (whites + sugar) into a thick egg yolk base. The lightening of the sauce with an equal portion of beaten whites or sweet meringue gives the soufflé its signature rise. And how you whip the whites is key to success.

Whipping the egg whites for the fluffiest batter

The egg whites should be whipped on medium speed to a soft or medium peak meringue, but no further. Too stiff of a peak and the beaten whites won't play nice with the base. Instead of a smooth, pillowy mixture, you'll be staring at a batter with large chunks of egg white floating about. Not edible times.

So what did we learn?

Soft. Peaks. NOT stiff ones.

Adding the sugar once the whites are foamy is a best practice, and a little pinch of cream of tartar at the same stage can help the meringue hold onto its structure. With any soufflé, baking or cooking immediately is key to ensuring a lofty rise.

Why do so many Japanese pancake recipes call for stiff peaks?

I honestly have no idea. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and learned to create soufflés with egg whites beaten to soft peaks. When the whisk or beater is pulled from the mass of whites, a small peak forms, and flops over about halfway. Stiff peaks are when the tip sticks straight up (or just about).

If you over-beat the egg whites for a soufflé to a stiff peak, the protein expansion is maxed out. No more room to grow during cooking, so to speak. Martha Holmberg at The Washington Post does a great job explaining the science of this egg phenomenon.

The formula for any soufflé, Japanese or otherwise

Japanese soufflé pancakes may be a hit sensation, but by no means did soufflé come of age in Japan (absolutely no offense meant). Soufflés are classical French cuisine, perfected in the 19th century by Chef Marie-Antoine Carême. The following tried and true ratio of ingredients is the ticket to soufflé success.

1 part base (batter) + 1 part egg whites

For soufflé pancakes, a great place to start is about five ounces of batter and five ounces of whites. The whites from large eggs are a little more than an ounce each, so four egg whites usually works out to around five ounces. This starting point will give you about four, 3-inch pancakes.

No scale? No problem!

If you don't have a kitchen scale and don't want one, I feel that. It can be a hassle to dig out of the cupboard, and yet another kitchen tool to buy.

• One-quarter cup of pancake batter = four to five ounces
• One egg white = just over one ounce

So with four egg whites for every quarter cup of batter, you can chart your pancake path. Once you whip up soufflé pancakes a few times, you'll be able to eye-ball how much of each you need to create a pillowy batter that will rise light and fluffy.

VERY IMPORTANT. When mixing your batter base, replace the whole eggs with just egg yolks. You'll be whipping the whites separately!

Quick + easy mold hacks

Unless you plan on whipping up Japanese soufflé pancakes every weekend, shelling out for pastry molds makes no sense. Here are three hacks for creating molds with common kitchen materials.

The most popular size mold for soufflé pancakes is one that's 3-inches in diameter and around two inches high. But really, any size mold that's two or three inches high will give you a tall, fluffy pancake. The point of the mold is to help the pancake rise, so height is more important than width.

Milk carton molds

I came up with this easy, cheap, mold hack after getting frustrated with flimsy parchment paper molds. Simply take a quart-size carton from milk or the like, and cut off the spout and the very bottom.

Then cut the trimmed carton crosswise into three, two-to-three-inch pieces. The pancakes will of course be square, but I've never met a pancake eater who cared about shape. And because of the wax coating inside, you don't really need to grease them!

I especially LOVE using the carton as molds, because they're easy to flip. Since the cardboard doesn't get as hot as a metal pastry ring. No need to fumble around with tongs, a long spatula and gentle guidance with your hands is all it takes.

Parchment or wax paper molds

Cutting and taping parchment or wax paper into long strips and taping them together is perhaps the most popular hack. Simply take a long piece of parchment, and cut it into two-to-three-inch strips. Then cut and tape the ends together creating a circle with a similar diameter.

This isn't my favorite mold hack, because the paper can be flimsy and often the tape comes off. But it's great if you don't have any pastry rings or cardboard cartons around. Many of us bakers keep wax or parchment paper in the dark corners of the pantry.

Piping bag recipe and technique

You can find many videos on YouTube and the like where cooks are simply piping their soufflé batter onto the griddle. Without a mold in sight. What you might notice is that the batter for these piped delights holds it own shape, because it has an even higher ratio of whipped whites to batter.

For piped soufflé pancakes that hold shape, add another egg white or two to your recipe. Be aware that in increasing the number of whipped whites, the pancakes will taste less like pancakes, and more like a floatin' island dessert (steamed meringue).

Step by Step Technique

Step 1. Separate eggs. After you decide the amount of batter you want to make, take the correct amount of eggs and separate the yolks from the whites.

Step 2. Mix batter. There is no wrong way to batter. Whether you prefer an easy box mix, or from scratch, mix your batter the same ol' way with your favorite flavorings. But use only egg yolks instead of whole eggs. And aim for a thicker than normal batter by using a little less milk.

Step 3. Whip egg whites. With a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip your egg whites with sugar until they significantly increase in volume. Beat in a tablespoon of sugar for each egg white once they foam. When the whites form soft peaks off the edge of the beater, stop beating.

Step 4. Fold whipped whites into batter. The technique for incorporating whipped egg whites into a thicker batter is to first mix in a third of the whites with the usual force. This lightens the batter. Then fold in the rest, scooping gently up and over the top from the bottom.

Step 5. Cook batter over low heat. Place your molds in a pan over low heat, and fill a little more than halfway. If using metal molds, grease the insides. Cover the pan and cook undisturbed. The pancakes are ready to flip after about eight to ten minutes, once bubbles break the surface and the bottoms are a rich golden color. Flip, cover, and cook five to six minutes more. The taller the pancake, the longer it cooks.

Japanese soufflé pancakes for dairy-, gluten- and grain-free diets

The following two versions are the whole reason I wrote this article on sticky, silly Japanese soufflé pancakes! In our house and for clients, I keep the refined starches to a minimum whenever I can. So here are the formulas I developed for enjoying soufflé pancakes minus the gluten, grain and forkfuls of carb-laden guilt.

For dairy-free pancakes of any kind, just substitute your favorite plant-based milk for the buttermilk, using just enough to get a thick batter.

Gluten-Free Version

Just as delicious as a traditional wheat batter! I like working with a nut- or legume-based gluten-free flour blend. More fiber and less refined starches like rice flour and cornstarch (corn flour).

I do find with most gluten-free baking, the batters need a little more milk than with a classic recipe. A classic pancake recipe is equal parts (by weight) flour and liquid, but gluten-free flours tend to be thirstier than wheat flour. Go slow when adding your milk to get a thick consistency, a thin batter won't work for soufflé pancakes.

Basic Gluten-Free Soufflé Pancake Batter

Mix the following together until smooth, then fold in four egg whites whipped to soft peaks.

• ¼ cup gluten-free flour, recipe tested with Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 5 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grain-Free, Paleo + Lower-Carb

The holy grail of my soufflé pancake quest! With almond flour, coconut and cassava or other root starch, I dare say these are even safe for a keto diet. Or at least won't completely derail ketosis if served with a nice helping of pastured butter.

Low-Carb Japanese Soufflé Pancake Batter

Whisk the ingredients until smooth, then fold in four whipped egg whites.

• ¼ cup almond flour
• 4 teaspoons coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons cassava flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup buttermilk (or milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sadly, soufflé pancakes don't cook up as lovely if you ditch the sugar when beating the egg whites. By all means, you can, but expect a less impressive tower of pancakes, if not one just as tasty.

And for the record: circle, square, freeform, loaded with sugar, or with just a pinch, soufflé pancakes of any kind are both délicieuse and oishī.

Yours in delicious,
Christina

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