Buttermilk Pancakes (best)
from the 1950 edition of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook
Good with orange juice and fried bacon or ham. Other good accompaniments are country-syle sausage and Maine Blueberry Sauce. For variations and other toppings, see below.
Tip for making light and fluffy pancakes: DO NOT OVERMIX THE BATTER. Your batter should have lumps in it. Two things go wrong when pancake patter is over mixed: the gluten is developed making the batter elastic instead of tender and bubbles from the leavening get beaten out.
I also found a recipe from the Kitchn that claims that separating the egg yolks from the whites and adding the whites last, without beating or whipping them, makes the lightest pancakes. The instructions are to "Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk, and milk. Add the melted, cooled butter and whisk until well combined. Pour the yolk and milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until barely combined. Add the egg whites and stir just until a thick batter is formed. Set aside for 5 minutes."
According to Rose Levy Beranbaum, the author of the Baking Bible, “Adding the white at the end gives more support—this is a technique used in soufflés—adding a little of the white unwhipped at the end so that the soufflé doesn’t deflate as quickly. Whipping egg whites to soft or stiff peaks adds more air but also as the egg white cells enlarge, the membrane gets thinner and thinner and is more fragile.”
Note: To make sour milk, for each cup of buttermilk needed, put 1 Tbsp. vinegar into regular milk and let it curdle. You could also use 3 parts plain yogurt thinned with 1 part milk in place of the buttermilk - I have not tried this but Food Network claims this will work.
The batter should have the right consistency: If the batter is too thin, you’ll have thin, crepe-like pancakes. If it’s too thick, they won’t spread and cook properly and may be doughy in the middle. The batter should be thin enough that they spread properly, less than 1/4 inch thick when poured on the griddle. You can thin batters by adding a little water or milk. Thickening a thin batter is a little more difficult. Sift a little flour over the batter and gently fold it in.
Buttermilk Pancakes (best)
from the 1950 edition of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook
Be sure to use buttermilk or sour milk. Acidity is needed to activate the baking soda.
1 egg
1 1/4 c. buttermilk or sour milk (see note above)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. melted butter, plus extra for frying
Beat the egg. Add the milk and baking soda and beat again. Add the remaining ingredients and using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don't try to work all the lumps out.
[According to Serious Eats, you should let the batter sit for 10 or 15 minutes until fluffy and the flour has absorbed some of the liquid.]
Melt some butter in a cast iron frying pan and heat. [Warm your cookware to a medium to medium-high heat, and maintain this temperature throughout the process A few drops of cold water sprinkled on the griddle should dance. If it’s too hot, the water will vaporize. If the griddle’s not hot enough the water beads on the griddle.]
Drop 1/4-cup portions of the batter into the pan, forming circles of pancakes. When the bubbles that form on the top of the pancake have broken and the bottom is brown, flip and brown the other side, making sure that the center of the pancake is cooked. Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200° oven.
Serve immediately with butter and warmed maple syrup.
Makes 16 4" pancakes.
Variations
Apple Pancakes - Mom made this wonderful variation, an influence from her German background. Use 2 cored apples, peel on, sliced in wedges about 1/4" thick for the recipe above. Serve with bacon or ham and maple syrup.
Blueberry or Elderberry Pancakes - add 1/2 cup berries, washed and dried, to the batter just before cooking.
Banana Pancakes - add 1 to 2 sliced bananas to the batter before cooking. Bananas can also be slightly mashed before adding.
Whole Wheat Pancakes - use 5/8 cup all purpose flour and 5/8 cup whole wheat flour in place of the 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Cornmeal Pancakes - use 3/4 cup cornmeal and 1/2 cup all purpose flour in place of the 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour. Top with honey or honey butter. Also see Cornmeal Johnnycakes
Fruit Toppings -
*Macerated Strawberries, top with whipped cream, if desired
Fresh
Strawberry Sauce w/ Honey
*Maine Blueberry Sauce, top with whipped cream, if desired
Raspberry Currant Sauce
*Fresh Cherry Topping
+Cranberry
Syrup
Fluffiest Pancakes
from https://www.seriouseats.com/, Leah Colins
My North Star for this recipe was to make pancakes that are thick and fluffy, with a tender, pillowy-soft crumb while keeping the entire process quick and easy and limiting myself only to pantry staples.
If I wanted fluffy pancakes, achieving the proper hydration level for the batter was crucial, so I started my testing there. The batter would need to be thick enough to trap air for a proper fluffy rise and to hold its shape when portioned into the skillet; too thin and the batter would de-gas and flood out into wide, soupy pools, resulting in thin and floppy discs.
If you prefer a thinner style, that's okay, too—just add a bit of extra milk. [This recipe has a lot more flour per amount of milk than Betty Crocker's, maybe too much. The pancakes look a lot thicker than those in Betty's recipe, too. A common flour to milk ratio for pancakes is 1 cup of flour to 1 cup of milk. Some recipes use a little less milk for thicker, fluffier pancakes, while others may add more for a thinner batter.]
2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces; 255 g)
1/4 cup sugar (1.75 ounces; 50 g)
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup (60 ml) neutral oil such as vegetable or canola oil, or melted butter, plus extra for greasing the skillet
1 1/3 cups (315 ml) whole milk, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Assorted toppings, such as butter, maple syrup, confectioners' sugar, honey, jams, preserves, sweetened whipped cream, or chocolate syrup
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, oil, milk and vanilla (if using) until well combined. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and with a whisk, stir gently until just combined (batter should remain lumpy with a few streaks of flour). Let batter sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil (or butter) over medium-low heat until shimmering, 5 minutes. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out excess oil, leaving thin film on bottom and sides of skillet.
To Test Temperature of Skillet: Drop 1 tablespoon batter in center of skillet. If pancake is pale golden brown after 1 minute, skillet is ready. If it is too light or too dark, adjust heat accordingly.
Using 1/4-cup dry measuring cup or ice cream scoop, portion batter into skillet in 3 places, leaving even spacing between portions. Use the back of a measuring cup or a spoon to gently spread batter into a 4-inch round. Cook until bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, edges are set, and bottom sides are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes.
Using a thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until the second sides are golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and serve. (Alternatively transfer cooked pancakes to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, and hold warm in a 200℉; 93℃ oven until ready to serve.) Repeat with remaining batter, using additional oil (or butter) as needed.
Make-Ahead and Storage: To store leftover pancakes, separate them with paper or foil between each pancake before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap or storing in a zipper-lock freezer bag and freeze up to 3 weeks.
Serves 4 to 6
