Fluffy Pancakes

Why I Love This Recipe
I have never been much of a pancake fan before, but lately I have been having cravings for them. I like my pancakes light and fluffy, so I went looking for a recipe with just those qualities. After looking at quite a few recipes, I developed my own recipe which combined a little of each. The secret of fluffy is to have enough leavening to make the pancakes pop. The "double-acting" baking powder used here develops fluffiness when mixed the the wet ingredients and agin when the pancakes are cooked.
This photo is an example of a fresh batch just off the cast iron griddle that always sits atop our stove — perfect for just such a meal. If you have a hankering for pancakes, this recipe works very well. It only makes about 6 average-sized pancakes, but the recipes is easily doubled or tripled if you want to make a larger batch. I do add a bit more milk than the recipe calls for, just to make them a little bit lighter.
This recipe was originally published as part of the Recipes in Rotation series on My Word with Douglas E. Welch (http://welchwrite.com/blog/category/recipes-in-rotation/)
Ingredients You'll Need
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp slat
1 egg
1 cup milk
Splash orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted
Directions
Heat griddle or pan to medium
Melt butter in microwave but do not brown. Set aside to cool a bit.
In small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Combine egg, milk, orange juice, vanilla and cooled butter in small bowl. Quickly whisk together with fork.
Stir wet ingredients into dry -- mixing just enough to moisten. Do not over beat or they will be less fluffy.
When griddle or pan is hot. (Drops of water on pan skitter about energetically)
Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle or pan for each pancake
Cook on each side until golden and fluffy.
Serves 4