Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes with Butter and Maple Syrup
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
A lumpy buttermilk and soured cream batter, rested briefly, makes tall, tender pancakes cooked on a lightly oiled pan and kept warm in a low oven.
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Method
- 1
Warm the oven. Heat the oven to 100 °C (80 °C fan) and put the wire rack and tray inside. This keeps the first pancakes warm without drying them while you cook the rest.
- 2
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in one bowl so the raising agents are evenly spread.
- 3
Mix the wet ingredients. In the second bowl, whisk the buttermilk, soured cream, eggs and melted butter until smooth.
- 4
Combine and rest. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet mixture and fold gently with the spatula until just combined, leaving lumps and a few streaks of flour. Rest for 10 minutes. Overmixing develops the gluten and makes pancakes tough, while resting lets the flour hydrate and the bubbles start to form.
- 5
Heat the pan. Heat 1 tsp oil in the pan over medium heat until shimmering, then wipe it out with kitchen paper to leave only a thin film. Too much oil gives blotchy, greasy pancakes.
- 6
Cook. Pour in 60 ml batter per pancake, 4 at a time. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the edges look set, the base is golden and bubbles on top are starting to burst. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until golden underneath and the centre springs back when pressed.
- 7
Keep warm. Move the pancakes to the rack in the oven and repeat with the remaining batter, adding a little oil when the pan looks dry. You should get about 16 pancakes, 10 cm across.
- 8
Serve. Stack 4 pancakes on each plate and top with a little butter and the maple syrup.
Storage
Cool, then refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze, layered with baking paper, for up to 1 month. Reheat in a toaster or a 180 °C oven until hot. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- 2 medium bowls
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- 30 cm non-stick frying pan or griddle
- 60 ml measure or small ladle
- thin wide spatula
- wire rack set in a baking tray
- kitchen paper
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 639 kcal |
| Protein | 15.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 94.5 g |
| of which sugars | 37.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 30.4 g |
| Fat | 22.5 g |
| of which saturates | 11.6 g |
| Fibre | 1.9 g |
| Salt | 1.86 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
