Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
Tall, tender pancakes with a proper tang, from a batter that takes four minutes to mix.
Pancakes go flat for one reason: the batter gets beaten smooth. Lumps are not a defect, they are undeveloped gluten, and they are what keeps the crumb tender. Mix until the flour has only just disappeared, then stop and let it rest.
Watch
Video coming soon
How to make Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
Quantities scale automatically. Cooking times stay the same.
Dry
Wet
To cook and serve
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Non-stick pan or flat griddle
- Ladle or ice cream scoop
Method
-
1
Whisk the dry ingredients
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk for 20 seconds. This distributes the raising agents, which is what stops you biting into a bitter pocket of bicarb.
-
2
Combine the wet
In a jug, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla until uniform. Make sure the butter has cooled or it will scramble the eggs.
-
3
Mix badly, on purpose
Pour the wet into the dry and fold with a spatula about ten times, until no dry flour remains. The batter should be thick and visibly lumpy. Stop there.
-
4
Rest the batter
Leave it for 10 minutes. The flour hydrates and the raising agents start working, and the batter will thicken and puff slightly. This rest is the difference between flat and tall.
-
5
Cook on medium-low
Heat a lightly buttered pan over medium-low. Ladle in about 1/4 cup per pancake and cook 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear across the surface and the edges look matte and set.
-
6
Flip once
Turn and cook 1-2 minutes more until golden. Flipping twice presses the air out. Hold finished pancakes on a rack in a low oven rather than stacking them on a plate, which traps steam and softens them.
Cook’s tips
- Lumps are correct. A smooth batter has been overmixed and will cook up flat and chewy.
- Medium-low heat, not medium-high. Hot pans brown the outside before the middle has risen.
- No buttermilk? Stir 2 tablespoons lemon juice into 2 cups of milk and leave it 10 minutes. The acid is what reacts with the bicarbonate of soda.
Variations
- Scatter blueberries or chocolate chips onto each pancake after ladling, rather than mixing them into the batter.
- Replace a quarter of the flour with fine cornmeal for more texture and a slight crunch.
- Add the zest of a lemon and serve with ricotta and honey instead of syrup.
Storage and make-ahead
Cooked pancakes keep 3 days refrigerated and freeze for 2 months layered between parchment. Reheat straight from frozen in a toaster, which crisps the outside better than a microwave.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 428 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 58 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Sodium | 620 mg |
Nutrition is estimated from ingredient averages and will vary with brands and portioning.
