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    Home » Kitchen Science » Pancake Science

    Pancake Science

    February 11, 2021 By Emma Vanstone 11 Comments

    One of the easiest ( and tastiest ) ways to introduce science at home is in the kitchen. If you’re a regular reader you’ve probably already seen our huge kitchen science round up post. Pancakes are a great way to learn about how changing the ingredients slightly can impact the final product in a big way.

    To get the perfect pancake for your tastes you need to get the ingredients right. If you like big fluffy pancakes, you’ll need baking powder to add bubbles to the mixture. If you’re more of a a crepe person, skip the baking powder.

    What you need

    Pancake batter, we used the recipe below but you can use any mixture you want.

    • 2 eggs
    • 300ml milk
    • 100g plain flour
    • Baking powder
    • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil or butter
    • Egg whites whisked

    Instructions

    Sift the flour and whisk the egg into it with a splash of milk. Add the oil or melted butter. Whisk in the rest of the milk. 

    Keep the whisked egg whites to one side.

    We are testing 4 different mixtures

    • Basic pancake mixture.
    • Basic pancake mixture with a teaspoon of baking powder.
    • Basic pancake mixture with some whisked egg white.
    • Basic pancake mixture with baking powder and whisked egg white.
    Pancake Stack – Image taken from Snackable Science

    How do you think the baking soda and whisked egg will affect the pancake?

    The baking powder and egg white should add air to the mixture giving it more volume than the basic mixture.

    How would you expect the pancakes made using different mixtures to differ?

    We would expect the pancakes to vary in size. The smallest should be the basic mixture and largest the mixture with baking soda and whisked egg white.

    Results

    comparison of pancakes with and without baking powder

    Pancake Science – the perfect pancake

    Baking powder acts as a leavening agent. This means it adds bubbles of gas ( Carbon dioxide ) to the dough. This is a chemical reaction which happens when the baking powder mixes with the moist dough mix.

    The starch in the flour mixes with the water in the dough mixture to form a gluten matrix which then sets leaving the holes left by the gas bubbles inside. If you don’t use baking powder in a pancake it will be much flatter.

    Baking powder is an example of a chemical leavener.  An example of a biological leavener is yeast.

    The egg whites are just another way to add air to the pancake mixture, when whisked the egg whites trap air, increasing the volume of the egg whites. When carefuly mixed into the pancake mixture air is added to the pancake mix too.

    Did you know that citric acid  (found in lemon juice) stimulates your taste buds? Try adding some to your pancake.

    These photos were taken with a microscope. You can clearly see the air bubbles in the mixture with baking powder.

    pancake mixture with baking powder under a microscope
    Pancake mixture under a microscope
    Pancakes made with and without baking powder

    Last Updated on February 12, 2021 by Emma Vanstone

    « Make an Egg Float
    Tooth decay experiment with egg shells »

    Safety Notice

    Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

    These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. maryanne @ mama smiles

      February 20, 2012 at 1:54 pm

      What a lovely chemistry illustration!

      Reply
    2. JoAnn Jordan

      February 20, 2012 at 3:41 pm

      What a neat experiment! So timely, too, with tomorrow being Pancake Day! I have a song activity that might be appropriate for some early elementary ages. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngIRIgpcfQ4

      Reply
    3. MsXpat

      February 20, 2012 at 8:21 pm

      I think I’ll try with the baking powder next time, lol. Looks great.

      Reply
    4. Actually Mummy...

      February 20, 2012 at 9:47 pm

      So doing this tomorrow!

      Reply
    5. [email protected]

      February 21, 2012 at 5:55 pm

      What a great way to show a young child the science of things. I have pinned this to my Science board! Thanks so much for sharing it with us at Tuesday Tots! We hope you will drop by next Tuesday, and show us what you have been up to!

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        February 22, 2012 at 2:10 pm

        Thank you. x

        Reply
    6. maggy, red ted art

      February 22, 2012 at 1:18 pm

      Brilliant! I LOVE how you managed to add science to Pancake day! And isn’t it amazing to see what the Baking Soda does?!

      Thank you for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!

      Maggy

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        February 22, 2012 at 2:10 pm

        Thanks Maggy x

        Reply
    7. Cerys @ Rainy Day Mum

      February 22, 2012 at 10:18 pm

      I love this and when I return to teaching it will be yet another science experiment that I will be doing with the students bringing science into the real world 😀 (maybe it will help get more students interested in the subject again).

      Thank you for linking up to Tuesday Tots

      Reply
    8. Actually Mummy...

      January 31, 2013 at 12:59 pm

      Once again, brilliant teaching – GG’s teacher actually made pancakes in her Reception class to demonstrate changing states and reversible and non-reversible changes – she was fascinated!

      Reply
    9. Lilia

      August 23, 2017 at 11:38 pm

      Wait, do I use baking soda or baking powder? They seem to be used interchangeably here but they are different, right?

      Reply

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