This is my favourite fluffy buttermilk pancake recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. The addition of buttermilk and sour cream gives the pancakes a nice tang and makes them nice and fluffy.
Ingredients
Cake flour 280g (2 Cups)
Sugar 2 Tbsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking Soda 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/2 Tsp
Buttermilk 2 cups (480ml)
Sour cream 1/4 cup
Eggs 2
Butter 3 Tbsp (42g)
Tips
1. Don’t over mix the batter. Mix the dry and wet components until they are just combined and leave it to rest. Little lumps of flour is alright, it doesn’t have to be completely smooth. Gluten develops when the batter is mixed and you don’t want the development of gluten as it will make the pancake chewy instead of fluffy. That is why it is good to use a low protein cake flour instead of plain flour.
2. Rest the batter for 10 mins after mixing. This allows the gluten to relax. It is best to rest it in the fridge as the cold temperature makes the batter more viscous and the pancakes will be nice and thick when you pour it onto the pan.
3. The recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda. The baking soda will react with the acid in the buttermilk to produce bubbles and helps with the browning. The baking powder will provide extra lift when heat is applied. Both are important so don’t leave out any of them!
4. The pan should not be too hot. Add a bit of oil to the hot pan and wipe away with kitchen paper. You only have to do this once if you are using a non-stick pan. The first pancake will always be a dud. So just use a small amount of batter to test and season the pan.
5. After pouring the batter onto the pan, allow the bubbles to rise to the top. Once you see the bubbles rise to the top of the pancake, lift the edge of the pancake to check if it has turned golden brown and flip. The first stage should take 2-2.5mins. The second side will take 1.5 mins to cook.
6. Keep the pancakes in a warm oven (120°C) until ready to eat.
Reference:
Cook’s Illustrated: The Science of Good Cooking
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An overnight yeasted batter is the best! You cannot beat the flavor. You just need the patience and forethought.
Thanks for sharing the pancake recipe. Got to find time this week to try out ! haha
Hi, I’ve heard many fellow pancake makers on blogs mentioning how gluten is needed along with the sugar for the pancakes to be fluffy. Im not allergic to gluten but am looking to make some healthier whole wheat versions (that can fill my tummy for longer hours) and also omit the use of sugar, baking powder & baking soda by substitutions. I’ve made a batch using some using recipes online using only banana and whisked eggwhites but they are greasy, and the fluffyness dropped drastically once they are out of the pan. do you have any good recipes i can follow? thanks in advance.