AmericanButtermilk pancakes
Buttermilk pancakes: tall, fluffy diner-style flapjacks stacked with butter and maple syrup
Every American diner, from New Jersey truck stops to California brunch spots, serves a short stack of buttermilk pancakes, and at home they are the classic slow Saturday or Sunday breakfast. Tangy buttermilk reacts with bicarbonate of soda to make them rise tall and soft, with a lacy golden outside and a tender, cakey middle. They contain wheat, egg and milk. Serve with a pat of butter and warm maple syrup, with blueberries or with crisp hash browns on the side. The most common mistake is beating the batter until smooth: that develops gluten and gives flat, rubbery pancakes. Stir only until the flour disappears, and leave the lumps. Chef's tip: let the batter rest for 10 minutes while the pan heats; the bubbles start forming in the bowl and the pancakes come out noticeably thicker.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 480 kcal
Ingredients
For the batter
- 9 oz plain flour
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggslarge
- 1 ⅝ oz unsalted buttermelted and slightly cooled
To cook and serve
- 1 tbsp butter or neutral oilfor the pan
- ½ cup maple syrupwarmed
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Whisk 9 oz plain flour, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda and ½ tsp salt together in a large bowl.
Step 2: In a jug, whisk 2 cups buttermilk, 2 eggs and 1 ⅝ oz unsalted butter until combined.
Step 3: Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir gently with a fork or spatula just until no dry flour shows. The batter should be thick and lumpy. Rest it for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 4: Heat a large non-stick frying pan or griddle over a medium heat and brush with a little 1 tbsp butter or neutral oil. It is ready when a drop of water skitters across the surface.
2 minStep 5: Pour in about 60 ml of batter per pancake, leaving space between them. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until bubbles pop on the surface, the holes stay open and the edges look dry and matt.
3 minStep 6: Flip and cook for 1–2 minutes more, until golden underneath and the centre springs back when pressed. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest, adding more butter as needed.
2 minStep 7: Serve in stacks of three with a knob of butter and ½ cup maple syrup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 74 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does buttermilk pancakes take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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