How to Make Awesome Buttermilk Pancakes

If you've ever wondered how to make truly awesome buttermilk pancakes, I'm here to help. This breakfast treat is easy to make, but it's also somehow easy to get wrong. Not anymore. Let's get into it.

If you've been a regular reader of this blog, you know that pancakes are practically a religion in my family. We never went to church growing up. We were much more likely to be enjoying bacon, sausages, and delicious fluffy pancakes practically bathed in syrup. Every time I see my dad now, which isn't as often as either of us would like, he always makes me pancakes.

So whenever I get bad pancakes at a diner or restaurant (which happens a lot here, sorry UK), it's such a huge let down. They're so strongly tied to joy and contentment in my mind that when they're not made properly, it ruins the whole vibe. Good buttermilk pancakes are easy to make, but you can definitely screw them up. I'm here to teach you how to get it right.

What makes Buttermilk Pancakes so awesome?

Good buttermilk pancakes should be light and fluffy and deep golden brown. There might be some crispy bits around the edges where the batter splashed out a bit. They should be tender, never tough or rubbery. And they should have flavor all on their own. Yes, they're a great vehicle for toppings, but they should taste good before you add the butter and syrup and all that jazz.

If you cut open your pancakes and they have big, tunnel-like holes, they're going to be rubbery. If you pick one up and its stiff as a board, they're going to be tough. All it takes is a little patience, a few tips and tricks, and the right ingredients to make perfect buttermilk pancakes with ease.

Magical Properties of Buttermilk

I didn't find any reference for the magical properties of buttermilk except one poorly sited reference to a Nottinghamshire folktale stating that witches are particularly fond of it. Using my own personal knowledge and intuition, I think buttermilk would hold some of the same transformative properties as butter since traditionally it's the liquid leftover from making butter.

Buttermilk also has a tangy, acidic flavor, so it could be used to call in a burst of energy and excitement. And given that buttermilk pretty much never goes bad, you could use it in spells for resilience or when you want things to hang around for a long time.

For more on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe. Full details are in the recipe card below.

• Flour - all-purpose or plain flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda - aka bicarbonate of soda
• Salt
• Sugar - you could add an infused sugar such as vanilla or lavender sugar for a slightly different flavor
• Eggs
• Buttermilk - use kefir if you can't get buttermilk
• Butter - melted then slightly cooled

Tips for making Buttermilk Pancakes

The trick to tender pancakes is to not overmix. If you stir too much, you can overdevelop the glutens. That's how you end with those big bubbles that look more like a baguette than a pancake. To keep things tender, we want to stir gently and quickly. Avoid having to overwork your batter by mixing your wet and dry ingredients separately, that way you only need to fold and gently stir with a rubber spatula for about 15 seconds once you bring the two together.

You can also let you batter rest for about 5 minutes while you heat up your pan. This lets the glutens relax and also gives the leaveners time to activate so you pancakes are light and fluffy.

Cooking your pancakes

Speaking of your pan, you want it properly heated before you start adding the batter. An incorrectly heated pan gives you the infamous first failed pancake scenario. Add a few drops of water to your pan. If they immediately evaporate, your pan is too hot. If they just sit in the pan, it's too cool. If they sizzle and skip about, it's perfect.

I make my pancakes in a large non-stick skillet these days, though an electric griddle is really the ideal scenario. A cast-iron skillet will also work, but you need to make sure it's well oiled. I use a ladle or a ⅓ cup measuring cup to scoop out my pancake batter. Watch for bubbles forming on the first side. I like to give the side of the pan a good whack with my spatula to burst the bubbles. Once the bubbles slow down and the edges start to set, you're ready to flip.

As Julia Child says, you've just got to have the courage of your convictions when flipping your pancakes. Hesitation is the most likely cause of mess ups. Be sure to give yourself plenty of room to work with if you're at all nervous about it. Your pancakes won't need to cook quite as long on the second side.

Pancakes are best eaten fresh out of the pan, but if you want to serve them all at once, you can stack them on a plate and cover them with a tea towel or keep them in a warm oven. Personally, I just make people eat in rotation. If there's mimosas, they don't seem to mind as much.

FAQ

There you have it, kids. My secret to totally awesome buttermilk pancakes revealed. I hope you never eat sad or boring pancakes again.

Looking for more awesome pancake recipes? Try these Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes or some Easy Greek Yogurt Pancakes.

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Recipe slightly adapted from I'm Just Here for More Food by Alton Brown.

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