Mom’s Buttermilk Pancakes
The perfect way to start your day, these fluffy buttermilk pancakes are subtly sweet and unbelievably easy to make. This fluffy pancake recipe, was given to my Mom by my late Grandma, and then passed down to me. These homemade pancakes, complete with buttermilk and a touch of vanilla, will have you saying adios to box variety for good!
Buttermilk Pancakes Full of Memories
These buttermilk pancakes bring back so many wonderful childhood memories for me. Christmas morning breakfast, birthday breakfasts, lazy Sunday mornings, and best of all breakfast-for-dinner meals! These were the go-to meal. My brothers and I would always beg my mom to make for any and all meals.
When I became old enough to learn how to operate a stove myself without fear of burning the house down, these were one of the first things my mom trusted me to make by myself. I think she knew they were relatively foolproof, and hard to screw up. I still have nostalgic memories of pulling out the old, stained, browned recipe card out of my mom’s recipe holder.
A Perfect Combination of Ingredients
These simple buttermilk pancakes are the perfect combination of fluffy and crisp. They also go quite well several different types of toppings, from maple syrup to whipped cream to Nutella. I really enjoy the buttermilk in these, as it adds an extra flavor dimension to the dish. However if you do not have buttermilk on hand, feel free to use regular milk or even make your own “buttermilk”. Simply add 1 tbsp of vinegar to the milk, and allow it to sit for a few minutes to curdle.
Now I believe the original recipe to be almost perfect. As such, the only extra “step” I have added is the resting period for the batter. As we add the wet ingredients to the dry, and begin to combine them together, we are also developing the gluten in the flour. Too much gluten development will result in chewy pancakes, hence why we stir only until the batter is just combined (I actually just use a spatula and a folding motion to combine wet and dry). By giving the batter a short 15-minute resting period, any gluten that was developed in the mixing stage can relax, resulting in softer fluffier pancake. Furthermore, allowing the batter to rest also allows the starch molecules in the batter to hydrate with the wet ingredients, resulting in an expansion of these molecules, and therefore, once again, fluffier pancakes. YAY!
I really hope you enjoy these as much as I do, and that they can bring your family the same type of happy memories it did for me!
Get the Recipe: Mom’s Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup Flour
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 1 Large Egg
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk, †
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Whisk together to combine. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, egg, vanilla, and oil, until well combined and smooth.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour the milk mixture in. Mix until just incorporated (a few lumps are fine), ensuring not to overmix. Cover and allow to rest for 15-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large greased pan over medium heat. When hot, drop dollops of batter onto pan. Pancakes are ready to be flipped when several bubbles begin to rise and pop out of the batter.
- Cook until both sides are golden brown, then serve with any garnishment or topping of your choice!
