Tom . . . you are confusing the indirect heat of the oven with direct heat under a frying pan -- the butter would have to rise to its smoke point, which won't happen during baking because the butter is also tempered by the batter and smothered as well. The semi-solid butter doesn't combine with the batter, it forms a moisture barrier between the batter and the pan, preventing the batter from sticking to the pan during baking.

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