Simple Homemade Pancakes

Buttermilk pancakes are the breakfast standard for a reason. Tender, fluffy, with a faint tangy depth that water-or-milk pancakes can’t touch. Eight ingredients you probably already have, 20 minutes from start to plate.

The buttermilk and baking soda combination is what gives these their cloud-like rise. The acid in the buttermilk activates the soda and creates lots of CO2 bubbles, which lift the pancakes to fluffy heights. Sour milk or a tablespoon of lemon juice in regular milk works as a substitute, but real cultured buttermilk gives the best result.

Don’t overmix the batter. Stir until just combined and leave the lumps. Aggressive mixing develops gluten in the flour and turns your pancakes rubbery. A few flour streaks in the batter are not a problem, they cook out.

Get the griddle properly hot. A drop of water should dance and skitter, not sit and steam. Cool griddle equals pale, doughy pancakes. Wait for the bubbles to form on top and the edges to look set before flipping.

Pro Tips

• Let the batter rest for 5 minutes after mixing. This relaxes the gluten and produces taller, fluffier pancakes.
• Use a quarter cup measure for uniform pancakes that cook at the same rate.
• Wipe the pan with a thin layer of oil or butter between batches. Pooled fat fries the bottoms unevenly.
• Keep finished pancakes warm in a 275F (135C) oven on a wire-racked sheet pan. Stacking on a plate steams them into rubbery sponges.

Variations

• Stir 1 cup of fresh blueberries into the batter, or sliced banana, for fruit pancakes.
• Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon for warmer, more aromatic pancakes.
• Swap ¼ cup of the flour for whole wheat flour for a heartier, nuttier flavor.