Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup nonfat or 1% milk
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions

1. Wash hands with soap and water.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in medium bowl.
3. Combine milk, oil and water. Add to dry ingredients.
4. Stir just until moistened.
5. Lightly spray a large skillet or griddle with non-stick cooking spray or lightly wipe with oil. Heat skillet or griddle over medium-high heat (350 °F in an electric skillet). For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot griddle.
6. Pancakes are ready to turn when tops are bubbly all over, a few bubbles have burst, and the edges begin to appear dry. Use a quick flip with a broad spatula to turn pancakes. Turn only once. Bake until bottoms are brown and dry.
7. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes:

• To see if skillet is hot enough, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If drops skitter around, heat is just right.
• Combine wet ingredients ahead of time. Store in refrigerator up to 2 days.
• Mix dry ingredients ahead of time and store in a sealed container.
• Top with applesauce, fresh fruit or yogurt.

Variations:

• Whole Wheat: use whole-wheat pastry flour or replace about half the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of water or milk if batter is too thick.
• Oatmeal: replace about half the flour with rolled oats. Soak the rolled oats in the milk for 5 minutes before mixing the batter.
• Corn Cakes: Omit the sugar, replace up to half the flour with cornmeal and add 1/2 to 1 cup cooked corn.
• Buttermilk: replace milk with buttermilk; reduce the baking powder to 2 teaspoons and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
• Apple: Add 1/2 cup shredded or chopped apple to the liquid ingredients.
• Berry: Try blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a mix. After batter is poured on the skillet or griddle, sprinkle the tops with berries. No need to thaw frozen berries.
• Pumpkin: Add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin.
• Zucchini: Add 1/2 cup grated zucchini. Squeeze out some moisture before adding.
• Waffles: This batter also works great in waffle makers!