I’ve been on a bit of a mission to make light, fluffy, and golden brown crisp edges, Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes, and after a few failed attempts, I think I’ve nailed it.
So how do I make the perfect buttermilk pancakes that the whole family can enjoy? Firstly fresh buttermilk – not everywhere stocks this so I would source this first to avoid disappointment. I’ve always had success in the dairy aisles of Tesco next to the fresh cream section.
Buttermilk in pancakes helps to activate the baking soda in the pancake batter, meaning that even as a batter the pancakes are already on their way to being light, fluffy and bubbly. Buttermilk also acts as an acid, eating away at the flour or gluten in the pancakes which makes them so tender and soft.
It’s all in the mixing
So after the buttermilk, my second tip is the mixture of the batter. I’ve narrowed it down to 3 simple things; stirring it up, melting the butter and being prepared to wait….
1 – Never over-stir your mix as tempting as it is. Just don’t! Always hand mix and be gentle. The less you mix the thicker and fluffier your pancakes will be. Oh and all of those lumps that you’re worried about will disappear when you get to step 3!
2 – Always melt your butter and let it cool slightly before adding to the mix.
3 – Let your batter rest ideally overnight covered loosely with a tea towel. If you can’t wait overnight 30 minutes will do the job but the longer really is better as it allows the butter to set meaning when the batter hits the warm pan the butter will create steam, it evaporates and creates bubbles. Bubbles then make perfect pancakes!!
Good things come to those who wait!
Ingredients
- 70g butter, melted and allowed to cool slightly
- Fry light sunflower spray
- 340g plain flour
- 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1.25 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 3.5-4 tablespoons caster sugar (depending on how sweet you want)
- 1.25 teaspoon salt
- 2 cartoons (287ml per carton) Buttermilk (574ml total)
- 3 eggs
- 1.25 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
1. First, melt the butter and set it aside to cool.
2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl then set aside.
3. In a jug or a protein shaker, mix together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
4. Create a hole in the middle of your dry mixture and start to add/fold in your liquid mixture. I usually add half of the liquid lightly mix in before adding in the last of the liquid. Now, remember, DON’T over-mix!
5. Slowly drizzle in the cooled butter and stir another few times. Remember lumps at this stage are okay, resist the urge to mix more.
6. Cover the mixture with a tea towel and pop in the fridge ideally overnight and let your mix do its ‘thang’.
7. Remove your mixture from the fridge and gently stir no more than 3 times.
8. I use a pancake maker frying pan but you can use a normal frying pan/griddle as you desire. Pop this on at medium heat and spray lightly with sunflower spray (you can also use butter but i find this overheats the pans and you don’t get the golden colouring you’re looking for).
9. Spoon one big spoon of the batter per pancake onto a heated pan. Cook for roughly 4 minutes on one side. It is time to turn them over when you see bubbles forming on the top of the pancake and the edges turn color. I’ll be honest and say I always stick to a 4-minute timer once I’ve found the right heat at this point as it makes life way easier and avoids the whole too long/not long enough saga!!
We love pancake Friday in our house it’s a highlight of our food week. Check out the pictures below,
Nom, nom, nom
Welcome to the world of Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes I do hope you enjoy!