In my last post (the first foray into the fabled world of pancake science), I discovered that skipping the butter in a pancake recipe tends to do almost nothing to the final pancake. But what about skipping the egg?
The "Basic Pancake" Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon melted butter (unnecessary... possibly even better without it)
1 cup milk*
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk*
Stir**. Cook***. Consume****.
* 2% (for now).
**For about a minute, until the big lumps are gone but ultimate smoothness has not yet been reached (for now).
*** Get a pan hot, spray it with some no-stick spray, pour a circle of batter, wait about 3 minutes for bubbles, flip, wait another 2-3 minutes, and remove from the pan (for now).
**** With great eagerness.
**For about a minute, until the big lumps are gone but ultimate smoothness has not yet been reached (for now).
*** Get a pan hot, spray it with some no-stick spray, pour a circle of batter, wait about 3 minutes for bubbles, flip, wait another 2-3 minutes, and remove from the pan (for now).
**** With great eagerness.
The Experiment
Take out the egg and see what happens.
Used an infrared thermometer to make sure pan temperature was steady at around 425F, then cooked both pancakes at the same time.
In the first try, the pancake with the egg had a lot more lift.
Same with the second try.
And the third try (although much less noticeable).
Looking at all three pancakes from each batch shows that the egg batch had a larger crumb and slightly more lift (much less pronounced once you remove them from the pan).
Results
Visual inspection: The pancakes with egg had more lift, but were less uniform (both in thickness and browning). The pancakes without egg had a more classic "from a restaurant" look. However, when I gave a piece of each one to my wife without telling her which was which, she held up the with-egg piece and said "this one is more beautiful".
Taste Tests: I gave a piece of each pancake to my wife and 3-year-old son to taste, without telling them which was which.
My son unequivocally pronounced the non-egg pancake better (and proceeded to eat the rest of it).
My wife tasted one, then the other, then one, then the other, scrunched up her face, and said "I like this one [the no-egg sample]... the texture is more bready. This one [the with-egg sample] tasted almost more - I hate to use the word "eggy", because it probably doesn't have eggs in it*, but it has a different texture." Later, after tasting more, she said that the no-egg pancakes tasted sweeter, and grilled me about how much sugar I put in each one (the same in both).
When I tasted the two, I had a hard time making up my mind. There was a definite difference... the no-egg pancake was smoother and more uniform, and maybe a little sweeter. If you like thin, delicate pancakes, you'll probably prefer the no-egg method. If you like a hearty, fully-bodied pancake with a little more of a savory / substantial / "eggy" taste to it, then you'll probably like pancakes with egg.
*Alas, she has been scarred and jaded by the many taste-tests I have subjected her to; she is no longer able to trust her instincts. In this case, to her delight, she was right.
Taste Tests: I gave a piece of each pancake to my wife and 3-year-old son to taste, without telling them which was which.
My son unequivocally pronounced the non-egg pancake better (and proceeded to eat the rest of it).
My wife tasted one, then the other, then one, then the other, scrunched up her face, and said "I like this one [the no-egg sample]... the texture is more bready. This one [the with-egg sample] tasted almost more - I hate to use the word "eggy", because it probably doesn't have eggs in it*, but it has a different texture." Later, after tasting more, she said that the no-egg pancakes tasted sweeter, and grilled me about how much sugar I put in each one (the same in both).
When I tasted the two, I had a hard time making up my mind. There was a definite difference... the no-egg pancake was smoother and more uniform, and maybe a little sweeter. If you like thin, delicate pancakes, you'll probably prefer the no-egg method. If you like a hearty, fully-bodied pancake with a little more of a savory / substantial / "eggy" taste to it, then you'll probably like pancakes with egg.
*Alas, she has been scarred and jaded by the many taste-tests I have subjected her to; she is no longer able to trust her instincts. In this case, to her delight, she was right.
Conclusion
Egg makes pancakes bigger, heartier, and... well, eggier.
Whether you like that or not is up to you. As for me and my house... we will probably be following the no-egg pancake path henceforth.
Whether you like that or not is up to you. As for me and my house... we will probably be following the no-egg pancake path henceforth.