Buttermilk and Vanilla Pancakes
reminds me so much of Saturday mornings at my grandparents'
I can always remember spending summers at my grandmother’s house every day during the summer. She cooked a full breakfast EVERY morning and watched her story while drinking tea. I aspire to wake up every morning and make a full breakfast before starting the day- but thank God for the weekend!
These are the best pancakes I’ve ever made, no cap. They’re super thick while still having a fluffy, pillowy texture. I enjoy that they aren’t super sweet so I can enjoy them with my favorite fruit toppings or even Nutella. The trick is all in the assembly- too much mixing and they’ll be super dense and we don’t want that! In the recipe, you’ll notice that I separate the eggs, adding one into the wet ingredients and one at the end by simply folding. The pure extract is key for the perfect hint of vanilla. If you’re feeling fancy, add ½ tsp of cinnamon to the batter and top with my favorite- peanut butter.
What You Need:
2½ cups All Purpose Flour, pour flour into a measuring cup with a spoon and level the top.
⅓ cup White Cane Sugar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 cups Buttermilk
½ cup of Whole Milk
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
½ cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
2 Large Eggs, separated
4 tbsp of Unsalted butter
What to Do:
1. The easiest way to get perfect pancakes is by not overworking the batter as much as possible. Set out three bowls: 1 medium one for the wet ingredients, 1 medium one for the dry ingredients, and 1 small bowl or a cup for the egg white that we’ll add last to prevent too much mixing.
2. Once you have melted and allowed it to cool, add the sugar, buttermilk, whole milk, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. These are the wet ingredients.
3. Separate the eggs and add the yolk to the wet ingredients. Add the egg yolks to a small bowl or cup for later. Whisk until they begin to create bubbles. It will make it easier to mix in at the end.
4. In the other medium bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking powder. Sometimes I like to add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon for some “razzle-dazzle.”
5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a wooden spoon. You only want to mix it to combine. We’re not looking for it to be perfectly smooth- you’ll still see streaks of flour (little pockets of dry flour) in the mix.
6. Gently fold in the egg whites enough to combine. You may see streaks of egg yolks, but that is fine. Don’t keep stirring. Enough to mix in the batter. The batter should be thick, not runny with no more pockets of dry flour.
7. Heat your griddle or frying pan on medium heat and add some butter.
8. Scoop the batter using a measuring cup to ensure consistent sizing. I like to use my ¾ or ½ measuring cup.
9. Once the batter is in the pan or griddle, wait until bubbles have formed on the top and then flip the pancake. You should have a nice golden brown flapjack. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Remove the pancakes from the heat and repeat until they’re all finished. I like to keep mine on a cooling rack and place it in the unheated oven. This keeps them from cooling quicker.
11. Serve the pancakes with butter, real maple syrup, and strawberries, or my favorite- peanut butter. Eat up! And don’t forget to send me pics at @elle.thefoodie!
