The secret to making perfect pancakes is obvious, according to Carla Connett: “The very simple way to put it is that they’re not made from a box or a mix,” said Connett, owner of Hotcakes Cafe in Wilmette, Ill., and Green Bay Cafe in Winnetka, Ill. “The perfect pancakes are definitely made from scratch with fresh ingredients.”Connett gets asked all the time how to make great pancakes. Perhaps that’s because people are wild about pancakes. Or, maybe, there’s a sort of unease surrounding pancakemaking. Good thing experts are willing, eager even, to share their tips.

Change your expectationsFor Dorie Greenspan, a baker and author of “Pancakes: From Morning to Midnight,” pancakes from mixes or those served in short-order houses have an artificial lightness of texture and lack the full flavor of quality ingredients. And Greenspan is not sold on the notion that the best pancakes are light as air.”I don’t think there’s one texture that fits all,” she said. “For instance, if you’re making an oatmeal pancake, I think you want a little texture.”She added: “Nobody wants a tough pancake, but you want to be able to chew it and know what’s in it.”

Follow a recipe but be adaptiveEven a professional such as Greenspan reaches for a recipe. That doesn’t mean she won’t improvise. She sometimes replaces some of the flour with cornmeal or whole-wheat flour.

Go for the liftYou want an element of bubbly lift in each pancake. That can come from baking powder, baking soda and beaten egg whites. Using a little potato starch to stabilize the batter is a secret from Ina Pinkney, known as Chicago’s “Breakfast Queen.”

Make the batter at the last minutePancake recipes call for “dry” and “wet” ingredients. Experts suggest combining dry ingredients in bulk in advance. Stir in wet ingredients right before cooking. If the batter sits too long, the batter will thicken.

Don’t overmix”A couple of lumps are OK,” Greenspan said. “If you’ve done a good job of mixing the dry ingredients, you won’t have many lumps.” Too much mixing results in tougher pancakes.

Choose a good pan and use oilPans or griddles with heavier bottoms tend to heat more evenly and lessen the risk of burning. Less oil is needed with a nonstick pan. Grease the griddle with oil. A flavorless kind lets the pancake flavor shine through, Pinkney said. Butter tends to burn. Also, too much oil creates splotches instead of uniform browning. The first few pancakes absorb the most oil; the second batch is better.

Regulate the heatBe flexible here, Greenspan warned. “You have to play with the heat,” she said. “You want the griddle hot enough so when you ladle on the batter it will spread. But if the griddle is too hot, the pancake will set too quickly without spreading.”

Keep ‘em small”The trick is to make the pancakes small and use one of those flexible spatulas to turn them,” Pinkney said.

Turn at the right time”Flip when you start to see several little bubbles in the batter,” Connett said. Be careful; the second side cooks more quickly. Lift up the edges to peek at browning progress.

Be sparing with toppingsPinkney prefers that her customers try their pancakes plain first. She also thinks the flavor of maple syrup overwhelms her pancakes. She serves a fruit compote instead.

 HOMEMADE PANCAKE MIXYield: 20 pancakes-Getting your ingredients ready the night before is key to a successful breakfast. This mix, developed by the Chicago Tribune’s Bill Daley and chef Christopher Prosperi of Connecticut’s Metro Bis restaurant, will be ready to go; just stir in sugar to taste and wet ingredients right before cooking. Store the mix in a 4-quart plastic container with a tight-fitting lid in a cool, dark, dry place.

10 cups flour1/4 cup baking powder2 tablespoons baking soda1 tablespoon saltProcedure:1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt well in a large bowl. Transfer to storage container; cover. Store until ready to use.2. To make 20 pancakes: Put 3 cups mix in a bowl; stir in sugar to taste (2 tablespoons-½ cup). Whisk 4 eggs in a medium bowl; whisk in 2 cups milk and ¼ cup melted butter into eggs. Add dry ingredients; stir until just incorporated. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon oil; swirl to coat. Ladle ¼ cup batter for each pancake into skillet. 3. Cook until bubbles appear, about 2 ½ minutes. Turn pancakes. Cook 1 ½-2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

 Here are some ideas to dress up your pancakes:1. Butter2. Maple syrup3. Confectioners’ sugar4. Whipped cream5. Crème anglais6. Grand Marnier7. Raspberry jam8. Strawberry jam9. Orange marmalade10. Apricot jam11. Major Grey’s chutney, pureed12. Flaked coconut13. Fresh mint14. Fruit compote15. Lemon curd16. Sour cream and cornichon pickles17. Caviar18. Cranberry-orange relish19. Hot fudge sauce20. Rum-glazed bananas21. Berry-cardamon sauce22. Tomato salsa23. Hoisin sauce and green onions24. Bourbon-glazed bacon25. Chopped peaches26. Peanut butter and jelly27. Applesauce28. Honey29. Broiled rum-glazed pineapple30. Cocoa powder31. Cinnamon

The perfect pancakes need only a small amount of a simple topping. Photo by MCCLATCHY