There are a million pancake recipes out there, but this light, feathery creation is one you'll return to - San Francisco Chronicle

There are things I believe every home cook should know how to make, fundamental recipes upon which you can anchor a diet, a life. With time and practice, these are the dishes you can make without a recipe, the sorts of things I hope to teach my kids so that when they eventually leave home they can make themselves scrambled eggs or cacio e pepe without consulting a cookbook (or calling home).

Pancakes are fundamental, at least in our house, and the ability to make them on the fly — on a sleepy Sunday morning at a rented cabin, or in your own kitchen, for breakfast or dinner, is a worthy goal for this year.

There are a million pancake recipes out there, but developing the one of my dreams, one that is feather-light and tender, that soaks up butter and maple syrup like a sponge, was actually not that simple. Over the years I've auditioned contenders, rejecting leaden, souffléd, two-ingredient, heavenly hot, and buttermilk varieties along the way.

My pancakes are made with ingredients I always have on hand — a single egg, some all-purpose flour, milk, and butter. That makes them a lot like many other pancake recipes out there, at least on the face of it, but my recipe distinguishes itself by the addition of a large amount of baking powder, which gives these pancakes considerable loft.

For best results, I cook the pancakes on an preheated ungreased nonstick griddle (or skillet). When the batter touches the preheated pan the cakes immediately begin to rise, reaching their fluffy potential, and brown evenly from edge to edge. Making a tester pancake to ensure your pan is neither too cool (which prevents the pancakes from rising to their full height) nor too hot (which can cause the pancakes to darken too much on the exterior before they're cooked through), is always wise, not to mention a treat for the cook.

True to their name, these pancakes are cake-like. You can make them less so, if you wish, by replacing a portion of the all-purpose with whole wheat or spelt flour. They are denser if you do so, but still wonderful. You could add citrus zest to the batter, or berries, or chocolate chips, or leave them unadorned to serve with yogurt on top, or peanut butter, or just do as I do, topping a stack with a big pat of butter and real maple syrup.

A year of Sundays lie ahead; commit this recipe to memory, and you'll be prepared.

Jessica Battilana is a freelance writer and the author of "Repertoire: All the Recipes You Need." Instagram: @jbattilana Email: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jbattilana

Perfect Pancakes

If you're making pancakes for a bigger crowd, you can double this recipe. For a double batch, use only 2 tablespoons baking powder. If you want, you can replace up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat or spelt flour (any more, and the pancakes become heavy).

Makes 12 small pancakes

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

1 to 1¼ cups milk

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for serving

Maple syrup, for serving

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a measuring cup, whisk together 1 cup of the milk, the egg, and the vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, add the butter, and stir with a rubber spatula just until combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy but still pourable; if it seems too thick, add the additional milk by the tablespoon until it's the right consistency.

Preheat a nonstick griddle or frying pan over medium heat. When the griddle is hot, make a tester pancake: Spoon or ladle a small amount of batter onto the griddle and use the bottom of the spoon to gently spread the batter into a circle (the batter is so thick, it won't spread easily on its own). Cook until golden brown and set on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook on the second side for 2 minutes more, until browned on the second side. Adjust the heat on the griddle, then cook the remaining pancakes in batches until all the batter has been used. Though pancakes are best eaten right away, you can hold the first batch in a warm oven while you cook the second. Serve hot, with butter and warm maple syrup.