Old Fashioned Pancakes
Based on the timeless Joy of Cooking recipe with about 20 years of fooling around by me. This is how I like them - puffy, light, and cakey.
Based on the timeless Joy of Cooking recipe with about 20 years of fooling around by me. This is how I like them - puffy, light, and cakey.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 3/4 teaspoons double acting baking powder (be sure its fresh!)
- 2 large whole eggs slightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
- 1 1/8 cup buttermilk (i also use non-fat milk and reduce the amount to 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract use real extract - it makes a difference
- Carbohydrate 258.114599916078 g
- Cholesterol 151.504687519621 mg
- Fat 22.963650219833 g
- Fiber 8.86787516781158 g
- Protein 37.2263298349334 g
- Saturated Fat 12.2154695886694 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (444g)
- Sodium 325.487583394263 mg
- Sugar 249.246724748267 g
- Trans Fat 2.69228496021033 g
- Calories 1416 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine flour, salt, sugar, baking soda in a large bowl and stir well.
- Combine eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and buttermilk in another bowl.
- Pour liquid into flour mixture and barely mix until just incorporated. Lumps are okay. You don't want to mix too much or you'll develop too many gluten strands and they will be tough and rubbery.
- Measure onto hot griddle with 1/4 measuring cup, greased if not nonstick. I often grease my non-stick griddle lightly for the first batch only for better browning of the first batch. I use a nonstick, electric griddle on medium high and lightly butter it once just before putting the first batch on. Give it plenty of time to get throughly hot. A flick of water should dance around on the griddle surface if the griddle is hot enough. If it vaporizes instantly the griddle is too hot. If the water drops just sit there and sizzle until they evaporate then the griddle needs to be hotter.
- Flip when bubbles have formed across the surface and the edges are beginning to look dry. The second side does not take as long as the first. It's okay to peek.
- Makes about seven to eight 6 inch pancakes.
Why do some pancakes emerge from the pan dense and rubbery while others puff into light, cakey rounds? The transformation relies entirely on how the batter handles liquid and heat. Overworking flour unleashes gluten proteins, turning a tender crumb into a tough chew. Stirring the liquid ingredients into the dry base just until moistened preserves pockets of air. Leaving small lumps visible inside the bowl guarantees a softer interior once cooked.
Thermal energy dictates the exterior crust. Heating a surface until water drops dance rather than instantly vaporize provides the correct thermal baseline for consistent browning. Greasing the cooking surface lightly before the initial pour ensures even color across every round without frying the exterior. Flipping requires attention to specific visual cues. Watch for bubbles breaking across the surface and edges turning dry before turning each piece over. The second side requires less time than the first, cooking through rapidly.
Adjusting yields requires careful measurement. Swapping half a cup of all-purpose flour for whole wheat grain introduces denser fiber, which demands an additional splash of buttermilk to maintain the correct fluid consistency.
