In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Mix the wet ingredients:
In a bowl, combine the milk, water, vanilla extract, and melted butter.
Make the batter:
Make a well in the middle of the large bowl containing the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Use a whisk to mix, moving from the outside in to make a cohesive batter, without overmixing.
Wait 10 minutes:
Wait 10 minutes for the pancake batter to thicken up and the ingredients to bind. Once the time is up, give it a mix once.
Cook the pancakes:
Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, grease it with butter, oil, or spray.
Pour ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Cook for about 2 minutes, until defined edges form and the batter bubbles up at the top. Flip the pancakes and cook for one more minute on the other side. Remove from the pan, continue making pancakes with the rest of the batter, and serve.
Notes
Dairy-Free: use dairy-free milk (not water) and a vegan butter alternative for baking (they come in stick form), not margarine instead of butter. I've used vegetable oil with good results the flavor was a bit bland.
Gluten-Free: use an all-purpose gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour.
Use the right baking powder: Since pancake batter naturally has a mild, neutral flavor, it's important to use aluminum-free baking powder. The metallic flavor will ruin the taste, especially in fluffy pancake recipes that call for 2 or more teaspoons. Trust me on this one.