Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla together until well combined.
Pour the milk mixture into the flour and fold together just until combined. (It's okay if there are a few small lumps in the batter. This actually helps make fluffier pancakes!)
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, rub or brush with butter to lightly grease the pan. Working in batches, add ¼ cup of batter for each pancake.
Cook for a few minutes until golden on the bottom and bubbles start to appear on the top, then flip over and cook an additional minute or until golden brown. Add more butter with each new batch of pancakes. Serve hot with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Video
Notes
Do not overmix the pancake batter, or the pancakes will come out dense and heavy. Lumps are perfectly fine in the batter!
For the best flavor, serve the pancakes with real maple syrup and not pancake syrup. Jams, preserves, lemon curd, fresh fruit, and berries make for a great topping as well. For a more indulgent breakfast, you can add whipped cream or drizzle some chocolate or caramel over the pancakes.
Don’t let the batter sit for too long, as the baking powder activates once combined with the liquid. However, there’s some leeway as baking powder is activated a second time when it heats up.
Only flip the pancakes once! When you see the little bubbles forming on the top of the pancake batter pop, that’s when you flip the pancake.
If you want to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them in batches, place a baking sheet in the oven with a rack at 200F and add them to the rack in a single layer as you make them. The baking rack will help air circulate underneath to prevent the pancakes from becoming soggy.
Avoid adding too much flour to the pancake batter as it’ll make it thick, leading to dry pancakes. You can measure your flour with a scale, or if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method prevents you from overpacking the measuring cup.
Leave enough room between each pancake to ensure enough space for you to flip them easily. Also, after flipping the pancakes, do not press down on them with your spatula. This will only flatten them.