very good buttermilk pancakes
I love pancakes so much. I love waffles, too, but pancakes can be made anywhere without any special equipment. This recipe serves four, making 16 medium-ish pancakes, but you can halve everything for fewer people or if you’re serving other things alongside.
yield 4 servings
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 T sugar
2 ts baking powder
1 1/2 ts baking soda
1 1/4 ts diamond crystal kosher salt (3/4 ts if morton’s)
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup walnut oil, olive oil, melted butter or melted bacon fat
for serving
butter, room temperature
maple syrup
riffing
substitute 1 cup AP flour with rye, spelt or whole wheat flour
add chopped pecans, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, cinnamon etc you know the drill it’s pancakes
recipe prep
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Create a well in the middle (this avoids multiple bowls!). Pour in buttermilk, eggs and oil/butter. Break egg yolks with a spatula and gently stir wet ingredients until blended, trying not to incorporate much of the flour at this point. Now, stir until just combined; batter should be lumpy.
Heat a griddle, cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon neutral oil. Using a measuring cup, ladle 1/4 cup batter into the skillet. Repeat once or twice if there is room, depending on the size of your pan. Make sure not to overcrowd the pancakes!
When the bottoms of the pancakes are golden brown, the edges are firm and the tops are bubbly (2-4 minutes), flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, another 2 minutes. Repeat until all batter is used, adding more oil as needed. Transfer pancakes to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet in the oven as you cook to keep them warm (don’t keep them in there uncovered for more than 20ish minutes so they don’t dry out!).
a note on buttermilk If using full-fat buttermilk, add 1/4 cup water
do it ahead Batter can be made an hour ahead and kept in the fridge, but if at all possible, do yourself the great honor of serving yourself fresh pancakes.
