Today is Pancake Day in the UK (Shrove Tuesday and Fat Tuesday elsewhere), where it's perfectly acceptable (encouraged even!) to eat pancakes for dinner. Being a Canadian, naturally pancakes are one of my most favourite things to eat.
To be honest, I am somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to pancakes though. I prefer proper big fat fluffy buttermilk pancakes rather than those crepe-like things; pancakes, to me, should be the thick North-American type, you know? I mean, they are called PAN CAKES.
Over the years, I've tried dozens of pancake recipes and the one I always keep coming back to is the good ol' buttermilk recipe from Bette's Oceanview Diner. First though, a few tips:
- This recipe uses baking powder and baking soda as leavening agents so check to make sure they're not out of date.
- Don't overmix the batter! Too much mixing will burst the air bubbles that make for delicious fluffy pancakes.
- Do not over grease the pan (use non-stick if you can).
- This recipe uses American cup measurements (US cup is 240ml whereas the UK is 250ml).
Bette's Diner Buttermilk Pancakes
serves 4
2 cups of all purpose flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk (often available in larger grocery stores but if not, you can substitute with plain yogurt)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, buttermilk, milk, and butter. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once, stirring just to blend. The batter should be slightly lumpy and quite thick. Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or heavy skillet over medium high heat (375 F on an electric griddle). Portion 1/4-cup measures of batter onto the hot griddle, spacing them apart. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles cover the surface of the pancakes, and their undersides are lightly browned. Gently turn them over and cook for about 2 minutes more, until the other sides are browned.
If you want, you can make variations based on this recipe such as blueberry pancakes, banana pancakes and so on. Enjoy!
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