What purpose does adding oil/butter to thin pancake batter serve?
While I understand that adding melted butter or oil to thick, American-style pancakes improves the texture/crumb of the pancake, I have been wondering what the impact is on thin pancakes. Here are some example recipes of the style of pancake I mean: one, two, three (interestingly this third link is a vegan recipe and calls for the most oil by far).
I've read in some places that the main reason is to reduce the chances of the pancake sticking to the pan - but this seems easily avoided with the right equipment and technique anyway.
So what function is butter/oil serving in these recipes? Is it still a textural thing, as with thick pancakes (and if so, how would the texture be different with or without the oil)? Is it about the non-stick issue? Or is it just a flavour thing? Given the massive variance in amounts of oil I've seen added to otherwise similar recipes for this style of pancake, it would be useful to understand what function the butter/oil is truly serving.
Best Answer
it's used mainly for 2 purposes the first being flavour (if u're making sweet crepes,as we call them in europe, better to use butter: if u're making savoury u can replace the butter with olive oil to give an aromatic note) and the second being elasticity and "bounciness".
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Quick Answer about "What purpose does adding oil/butter to thin pancake batter serve?"
In my experience (having tried oil-free pancakes for health purposes) the pancakes made without fat are much drier compared to the moist pancakes made with oil or butter. So the case here as with most baked goods is that the fat helps produce a lighter and more flavourful result.What does adding oil to pancake mix do?
Butter is a beautiful thing; it will make a good pancake taste better, and it's the only thing I'll use to grease my griddle. Oils break down in high heat, so that's no good, and besides, you have to deal with the flavor that oil gives the pancake. Butter goes with every pancake I make, so it's my safety fat.What does adding butter to pancakes do?
Fat (melted butter) makes the pancakes rich and moist. Adding too much fat will make them seem more like pound cake; they'll have smaller bubbles and won't rise as much.When making pancakes Should I use oil or butter?
Butter tastes great, but it browns too quickly on the high heat of your skillet to be useful for making pancakes. A good pancake requires a fat with a higher smoke point\u2014such as canola oil, shortening, coconut oil or even ghee or clarified butter.Is oil needed in pancake batter?
You can omit the butter or oil in the batter recipe if you must, but you'll definitely need to cook with butter and or add it to pancakes after they're cooked.Butter vs oil in baking.. what is the difference?
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Answer 2
In my experience (having tried oil-free pancakes for health purposes) the pancakes made without fat are much drier compared to the moist pancakes made with oil or butter. So the case here as with most baked goods is that the fat helps produce a lighter and more flavourful result. I suspect the vegan recipe uses the most oil to replace some of the action of the eggs.
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