My search for the perfect from-scratch pancake has eluded me for some time. Some of the recipes have been way too loaded with butter, and others have resulted in curdled butter when mixing together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk. At last, while watching the Food Network late one night, Alton Brown made buttermilk pancakes that had a modest amount of butter (in comparison) and solved the problem of my curdled butter. Apparently mixing the eggs, butter, and milk all together creates a chemical reaction that curdles the butter. By separating the eggs and mixing the egg whites with the buttermilk, and the yolks with the butter separately, each combination is thus stabilized. Problem solved!
The verdict: Love them! The batter is thick and lumpy, which creates fluffy, flavorful pancakes. Will be saving this for my standard pancake recipe from now on!
Buttermilk Pancakes
(Source: Alton Brown)6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugarCombine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.
Use the mix within 3 months.
“INSTANT” PANCAKES:
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups “Instant” Pancake Mix, recipe above
1 stick butter, for greasing the pan
2 cups fresh fruit such as blueberries, if desiredHeat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. Heat oven to 200 degrees F.
Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.
Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don’t try to work all the lumps out.
Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.
Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)
Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.
Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.
Yield: 12 pancakes
See more: Breakfast, buttermilk, Pancakes
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I will totally use this, thanks!
Oh, great, I haven’t found a buttermilk pancake recipe that I love yet either, even after much searching. I should’ve known to check Alton’s recipe when Cooks Illustrated failed me!
I love Alton’s recipe! American style pancake mixes are hard to find here in Europe so I always make them from scratch using this recipe.
Those are my favorite pancakes, too! They always turn out so fluffy and perfect.
Alton is the best! If I didn’t have a favorite pancake recipe already I would so try this!
Yay for Alton recipes! These look so perfect and delicious! I could go for one right now!
Looks like a perfect pancake stack to me. Wonderful.
It’s like you read my mind! I was hoping to make some pancakes with strawberry sauce this week since I have a ton of strawberries in my fridge. This recipe looks perfect!
These look like wonderfully light and fluffy pancakes! I am going to have to give them a try, yum!
Great post! This have been very popular on twitter!
can i replace buttermilk with yogurt for this recipe? sorry about this silly question… i do realize that its called “buttermilk pancakes”.
Hi Rachel,
Yes, you can replace the buttermilk with yogurt. And of course, there is no silly question! To keep the same texture and avoid dry pancakes, substitute using 3 parts plain whole-milk yogurt and 1 part milk. In the case of these pancakes, which calls for 2 cups of buttermilk, you would use 1-1/2 cups of plain whole-milk yogurt with 1/2 cup milk.
Enjoy the pancakes!