Pancakes are easy and almost foolproof. But there are some tricks to making them perfect. We'd like to share those tips:

1. Use a low-gluten flour. We like to use unbleached pastry flour in our recipes-that's what our mixes are made with-but all purpose flour will do. Bread flour makes for a pancake that is too tough and chewy.

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2. Don't over mix. Mixing develops the gluten in the batter. Mix the dry ingredients together to dispense the leavening throughout the flour. Mix the recipe's wet ingredients together in another bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. There will still be lumps. That's OK -- they'll cook out.

3. Get the batter the right consistency. The batter should be runny enough that it will spread on the griddle. If it is too runny, the pancakes will be crepe-like. As you progress through the batch, the batter will tend to become thicker as the leavenings work. Add a little more water or milk as needed but remember to stir minimally.

4. Prepare the griddle. Very lightly grease the griddle with a little shortening or with an aerosol can of vegetable oil.