These are the best pancakes, ever. Really. They come out crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. Simple to make, with items you ought to have in your cupboard, you'll never get store bought pancake mix again.
In a large mixing bowl mix all of the dry ingredients together. In a small mixing bowl, mix milk, eggs and shorening. About 10 minutes before you are ready to cook, pour the wet ingredients on the dry and mix together enough to moisten everything. Do not over mix. There will be lumps. This is OK.
Heat a griddle (best) or fry pan until a drop of water skitters across the surface. If you have an electric griddle, set it for 350. Melt some butter, or other oil on the surface. Pour the pancake batter on the hot surface. I use an ice cream scoop. You can make the pancakes any size you want, but remember, you have to flip them.
When you can see bubbles across the surface of the pancake, and a few have broken near the edge, flip the pancakes. Cook another 30 seconds or so, remove from pan and serve.