Pancakes are among my all-time favorite foods. Morning? Night? Doesn’t matter. I just love pancakes. For me it’s a real treat going out for breakfast or Sunday brunch and enjoying really good, well made, tasty, flavorful pancakes. But until recently, I didn’t enjoy making them because they just never came out “right”. Late last month I spent a weekend trying various recipes and finally… FINALLY… I found a clear-cut winner… one that beat the rest and exceeded my high expectations :)
I admit it, I’m a pancake snob. My family doesn’t share my devotion… my love… my craving for pancakes. That’s okay, I say, more for me!! And OMG when I have pancakes they require a boatload of maple syrup… and preferable a few slices of crispy bacon or a couple of sausage links… or patties. I’m easy ;-) In all honesty, for some reason I’m not a fan of maple flavor… but… when it’s on pancakes (or waffles), I’m all over it. Go figure.
In my private “weekend pancake cook-off” I tested recipes from Mark Bitman, CIA, Betty Crocker, various internet sites, family recipes… and found my absolute favorite was from my old standby Joy of Cooking. I want a pancake that has some flavor to it – a pancake that’s light and fluffy – one that’s simple, basic, not fussy and doesn’t require a dozen prep steps and hours of time. Some recipes I tried had no flavor. Some had no rise. But the Joy of Cooking recipe was a clear winner and it’s the one I’ve added to my recipe file.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Joy of Cooking
Dry Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients quickly into the dry ingredients. Don’t overbeat. Give just enough quick strokes with a whisk to barely moisten the dry ingredients. Ignore small lumps. Cook on hot griddle and serve immediately.
If you’re looking for a good, basic, easy to make buttermilk pancake recipe, try this one. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Have a delicious day! :)
Oh yes..I am to a pancake LOVER.
I havent tried Joy of Cooking yet. The Cooks Illustrated is the one I used last time and it was ok..but I will try this on next time!
Love the syrup drip!
My 3 girls could eat pancakes every day of the week. Looks like I’ll be trying this one soon! Looks yummy . . .
i looove pancakes so i can’t wait to try this one out!
I have been using a very similar recipe, I think the only difference is the other only uses one egg, anyway the pancakes are awesome and as a special treat for the kiddos I add chocolate chips once the batter is on the grill.
I think I’d like some blueberries in mine! Those look great!
I have been looking for a good recipe too! I can’t wait to try them!
This looks great, and I’m glad that you did the experimenting so I don’t have to.
One thing – I’m assuming you meant 1 1/2 CUPS of buttermilk?
Regan,
Yes, I did mean “cups” of buttermilk. I’ve edited the post now. Thank you for catching that and pointing it out to me :)
Nice one…..
We have similar tastes in Pancakes, especially buttermilk. Here’s my recipe, although, lately I’ve been adding real vanilla bean as a twist…..
http://themerlinmenu.blogspot.com/2008/08/buttermilk-pancakes.html
I’ve used the recipe a few times and it is amazing. I do use cake flour though as I remember my very old edition of Joy of Cooking called for it. RIP my old Joy of Cooking it didn’t make it in my recent move, but thank you Repressed Pastry Chef for having the recipe!!