Perfect, Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

_{Recipe originally published July 31, 2015. Post modified June 8, 2024}

A really, really long time ago, making perfect pancakes completely from scratch was one the first real cooking goals I ever set for myself. To be more exact, I had set a general learning goal to make as many things as possible from scratch, and I thought I was starting small with pancakes. Well, after severalunsuccessful batches of homemade pancake batter, I can tell you that as a novice cook all those years ago I completely underestimated the “simple” pancake.

Word for word, I followed the directions in pancake recipes that I found in old recipe card sets and cookbooks I had, and without fail the pancakes were disappointing. It was a different sort of failure for each and every batch, but basically they turned out flat, tough or just completely flavorless. 

I didn’t understand it. There was no way all of those recipes were that flawed. They were published by big names in the cookbook industry and surely someone had put them through a quality test, right? So, logic forced me to admit that the problem was most likely a classic case of user error. But, since I had followed the steps in the recipes to a “T”, I just wasn’t really sure how I was screwing it up. 

After a few more weeks of pancake disasters, I decided to try making homemade sandwich bread to break the monotony. (Reach for the stars, right? Why not!) When I began researching bread recipes and bread-making techniques on the internet, I came across an article about gluten, bread-making and proper kneading. Reading that information was nearly life-altering for me.  

Seriously, after reading that enormously useful article, I realized that my problem with pancakes came down to over-mixing the batter. Yep, I was a serial pancake batter over-mixer and I was definitely the one killing the Sunday morning pancakes!  In a nutshell, what I learned was that, like cake batter, pancake batter has to be handled gently so that gluten doesn’t over-develop in the mixing process. That way the gluten in the batter can trap more air that’s created during the cooking process and cause the pancake rise with a soft, fluffy texture. 

It was learning to correct my mistakes in making successful, simple pancakes that proved to me that there truly is a lot of science and conscious technique involved in cooking and baking. This realization made me more daring when it came to trying new methods in the kitchen, but now I do my research first.

So, I’m happy to pass on the fruits of my labor to you. This is the only basic buttermilk pancake recipe I ever use anymore.  And for the love of Pete, just take it easy when you’re mixing up the batter!

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Perfect, Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Recipe by Marcelle at A Little Fish in the Kitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: breads and rolls, breakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Yield: 10-12

1/2x 1x 2x

10-12

pancakes

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

This recipe produces Perfect, Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes every time using pantry-staple ingredients. This money-saving recipe is has been my go-to pancake recipe for many years. These homemade pancakes are tried and true, family favorite breakfast treat!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 4 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup buttermilk

• 1-1/4 cup milk (I used 1% milk)

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (see notes)

• 1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, to taste (I highly recommend Rodelle Baker’s Extract for pancakes and waffles) )

Directions

•  Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.
• In a large measuring cup or a small bowl, mix the beaten egg, oil or cooled, melted butter and vanilla together with the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour buttermilk mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, mix all ingredients until the batter is just mixed. (No longer than about 45 seconds!) The batter will be lumpy.
• Heat a griddle or a skillet to medium heat. (Note: even with a non-stick pan, I think it’s a good practice to grease the surface with a light spray of non-stick cooking spray before pouring each pancake onto the heated pan. Better safe than sorry, I always say!) Using a 1/4 cup size measuring cup, pour generous scoops of pancake batter onto the heated cooking surface  
• Once the wet side begins to bubble up slightly, you are almost ready to flip the pancake.  When those bubbles begin to burst on their own, use a spatula to carefully flip the pancake.  Allow to cook for about 1 – 2 minutes on the other side and the use a spatula to remove pancakes from the heat.  
  
• Recipe should yield about ten four-inch pancakes. Serve, top with your favorite pancake toppings and enjoy!  

Notes

• *if using melted butter for this recipe, be sure to let it cool before mixing it in with the beaten eggs. Hot butter will cook the eggs!
• Recipe from A Little Fish in the Kitchen blog at www.alittlefishinthekitchen.com. All content is owned by Marcelle G. Bolton. Please contact the author for permission to republish

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