Oven Pancakes

Skip the griddle. These pancakes bake in the oven on buttered sheet pans at high heat, so you get a whole batch done at once with zero flipping. Ladle the buttermilk batter onto hot, buttered baking sheets and let the oven do the work.

The trick is preheating the buttered pans in the hot oven before adding the batter. When the batter hits that sizzling-hot, greased surface, the bottoms start crisping immediately, just like they would on a griddle. Nine to twelve minutes later, they’re golden brown on both sides without ever being turned.

The batter is fast: buttermilk, egg, oil, and pancake mix beaten until smooth. A food processor makes it even quicker. Just pulse a few times and stop. Overprocessing makes the pancakes tough.

Pro Tips

• Watch the butter carefully when it’s in the oven. It should melt and sizzle but not brown or burn. Pull the pans the moment the butter is fully melted.
• Ladle the batter onto the hot pans quickly so they don’t cool down too much before going back in the oven.
• Don’t overprocess the batter. A few small lumps are fine and make for fluffier pancakes.
• These work best at high heat. Don’t lower the oven temperature or they’ll steam instead of browning.

Variations

• Fold blueberries or sliced bananas into the batter before ladling onto the pans.
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon to the batter for spiced pancakes.
• Use the same method with whole wheat pancake mix for a heartier breakfast version.