Sunday, February 14, 2010

Buttermilk Pancakes



I have a confession to make. When I said that we make chocolate chip cookies more that anything else I was not being completely truthful. They actually come a close second to pancakes, but my omission was due to the fact that, particularly among my children, pancakes are often viewed merely as a syrup delivery system.


We go through a shocking amount of maple syrup in this house and our devotion to this amber liquid borders on the religious. We buy 4 litres at a time from a small family run operation in Campbellford, the same small town where we buy the amazing cheese that I used in my Drop Biscuit and Macaroni and Cheese recipes. Curles Maple Syrup has been in operation since 1862. In fact, the same family has been producing syrup in this sugar shack for 7 generations.


However, having said all that, I don’t think we always give the pancakes themselves their due. There is nothing simpler to make than a pancake but the combinations and variations are endless. When they are good they are so much more than a vehicle for Maple Syrup. Testament to that is the fact that, as often as I make them, they still seem like a treat every time. I play with different flours and flavours and come up with any number of combinations, depending on my mood.  Sometimes I swap out 1/2 cup of all purpose flour for corn meal and add brown sugar instead of regular sugar.  Sometimes I swap out that same 1/2 cup of flour with 1/2 cup of oatmeal and add 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, to make then taste like cake donuts. Sometimes I add a mashed banana or mashed sweet potato or blueberries.  The possibilities are endless.  The basic recipe is given here.  It comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook which is my go-to cookbook for so many recipes. I have doubled the original recipe as I find it never makes enough for my hungry crew.  Have fun and come up with new combinations of your own. 

Buttermilk Pancakes
adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook 

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups well shaken buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
 
Mix dry ingredients together in medium bowl.  Add all wet ingredients at once and stir just until combined. Do not over mix, batter will be slightly lumpy.  Lightly coat skillet with oil.  Heat to medium low.  Drop 1/8 cup of batter onto heated skillet.  Cook on first side until bubbles begin to form on surface, 2-3 minutes.  Flip over and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden brown and centre springs back when lightly touched.  Serve warm with maple syrup and butter. Makes 10-12 pancakes.

18 comments:

  1. I make these pancakes every weekend for my kids, they love them and they always turn out fluffy and light. They are a treat everytime I make them.

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  2. Amazing pictures! Those pancakes look so tasty. I'll definitely have to try them.

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  3. I've never been able to make fluffy pancakes from scratch. I'm going to try this recipe and hopefully it will break my flat pancake streak!

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  4. Ahh, the art of the perfect pancake!!

    Thank you so much!! Hopefully I can break my parents of the NesQuick habbit... >->

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  5. Your pictures are incredible!

    I have always been a huge fan ofpancakes, but I have always made them from a mix. Tonight I have decided to make them from scratch and your recipe sounds and looks wonderful!

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  6. What an amazing photo! Those pancakes look delicious. They truly are one of my favorite breakfast foods-I like to add some semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter ;)

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  7. I had to buy a lot of buttermilk for a cake recipe because the store was sold out of the smaller containers, so I decided to make these pancakes for bfast this morning to use some of it up. They were fantastic! This will definitely be my go-to pancake recipe from now on. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Thanks for the feedback...I'm glad they worked out for you!

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  9. I had never made fluffy pancakes before (I live in the Netherlands, where pancakes are big and thin, more like crepes) I googled your recipe and decided to try hem. They turned out fantastic! Thick, fluffy and yummy! Thank you for sharing!

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  10. Els, Thanks you for such a nice comment. I am glad your first time trying them turned out so good!

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  11. We make these pancakes on a regular basis, especially when we have visitors for the weekend. They are a huge success every time, amazing texture and flavour!

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  12. do you add the oil to the pancakes or is it set aside just to grease the griddle? thanks!

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  13. Hi Anonymous, The oil is added to the batter. You may need additional to grease your griddle, depending on the kind of griddle you have.

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  14. Great pancake recipe! Used this recipe this morning, turned out great. Thanks!

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  15. Hi Pancake Dude,

    Thanks for letting me know, I am always happy to hear that a recipe worked out well!

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  16. Since we missed Pancake Tuesday last week due to a bad stomach virus, I treated the kids to a pancake dinner tonight complete with strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream and maple syrup. I used 1 c. organic spelt flour and 1 c. unbleached flour. It was pancake perfection!! I am putting this in my "go-to" recipe book. Thanks!

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  17. Adapted this lovely recipe to make peanut butter pancakes this morning. Thanks for sharing the perfectly fluffy pancake recipe!
    http://www.cogsandcupcakes.com/peanut-butter-pancakes-with-chocolate-maple-syrup/

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