I really hate it when you go searching for a recipe in the great google in the sky and you run across all the recipes that say best ever, most favorite, easiest, fluffiest etc etc. I’m always reluctant to believe that this particular recipe could really really be best ever or fluffiest etc. However, if you check my posts – there aren’t many that say BEST EVER. But. These pancakes take the cake, as it were. These are, in fact, the best ever homemade buttermilk pancakes I’ve EVER had. And, even my Dad declared these his best ever and he’s got 80 years of eating pancakes behind him. If you knew my dad – you’d realize he doesn’t mess around with compliments unless they are deserved.
Why are they so good ?
It’s all about the ingredients (quality!), the ratios (original list from Food.com) and the methods (reading a lot of recipes I learned the keys!) It isn’t hard – and once you know, you know!
Rule #1. Don’t over mix the batter. (more details under recipe instructions)
Rule #2. Let the pancake batter REST FOR 15 MINUTES after the last stir.
Rule #3. Get your griddle to appx 375 degrees – make sure it’s good and hot – water splashed on it should sizzle and disappear readily. (A handy dandy infrared temperature gun or an electric griddle could help here.)
Rule #4. Don’t mess with the pancakes while they cook AND FLIP ONLY ONCE.
Rule #5. Top with REAL Maple Syrup
Anything else I should know ?
On the day my Dad declared these the best ever pancakes he’s ever had – I was visiting my parents when they lived in Tennessee. Dad said he’d go to the grocery and get buttermilk for us to have pancakes. He brought home FULL FAT Buttermilk. I’d never heard of full fat buttermilk and it seemed darn near impossible to me… In the olden days, buttermilk was the liquid left over after churning cream into butter. So if you churned out the fat – aka the butter – what you’d have left would necessarily be skim or low fat. But there we were – with a quart of full fat buttermilk.
After further research I learned that the new fangled ways of commercial food products meant that full fat milk could have active cultures (lactic acid bacteria) added to it and then after heating it and letting it ferment you could have full fat buttermilk. (who knew?)
OK – That’s it !
Let the best ever homemade buttermilk pancake making commence !
Best Ever Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes
Equipment
- Griddle is ideal but a properly hot fry pan will definitely work.
Ingredients
Sift and stir the dry ingredients together
- 2 C Flour
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1.25 Tsp Baking Soda
- 3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
Whisk together the wet ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 2 C Buttermilk (whole ?!)
- 4 Tbl Butter Melted – I've used 3 Tbl successfully before…
Instructions
- Turn on your griddle / warm the fry pan you'll be using – target is 375℉ degrees.
- Turn on your oven to 200℉ or turn on your warming drawer.
- Melt and cool the butter.
- Sift and mix together the dry ingredients. Yes, sift…
- Fairly vigorously whisk together the liquid. make sure the butter is NOT hot hot hot – else you will scramble the eggs. Get some air into the liquid!
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula – stirring delicately and only until the largest of lumps are gone.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes and wait. Set the table or something…
- Use a large spoon or measuring cup or pour from a very large measuring cup onto the griddle. Let the pancakes cook while the batter produces bubbles and they burst. Use a timer / stopwatch on your watch/phone to see how long it took the first side to cook.
- After the pancakes have a few large holes that haven't receded / filled back in – it is likely that your pancakes are ready to flip. Check one pancake for the right color – before messing with the others. Reminder – In general you want to leave the pancakes alone. Flip ONLY once. Make sure they are ready before you go messing with them. Allow the pancakes to cook a similar amount of time on this second side.
- Stack pancakes on a cooling rack and place in a 200℉ oven or a warming drawer. (sometimes I do stack them on top of each other and cover with a towel – but the crispy top / bottom may dissipate due to steam…)
- When all are done – sit down and enjoy with REAL Maple Syrup and maybe some fruit?
