Breakfast · American
Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
Tall, tender pancakes with a proper golden crust.
- Prep
- 10 mins
- Cook
- 15 mins
- Total
- 25 mins
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Tall pancakes are not about a secret ingredient. They come from buttermilk meeting baking soda, and from a batter you deliberately undermix.
Every lump you stir out is a little less lift. Mix until the flour is just hydrated, then walk away for ten minutes.
Instructions
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Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a large bowl, breaking up any lumps of raising agent.
-
In a second bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla until evenly combined.
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Pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. The batter should be thick and visibly lumpy — about 10 folds is plenty.
Lumpy is correct. A smooth batter makes flat pancakes. -
Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. It will thicken and you will see bubbles rise to the surface.
-
Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium-low heat and brush lightly with butter. Test with a spoonful of batter: it should sizzle quietly, not aggressively.
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Ladle about 60ml of batter per pancake into the pan, leaving space between them. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles break across the surface and the edges look set and matte.
Wait for bubbles to break and the edges to turn matte before flipping. -
Flip once and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes until puffed and golden. Resist pressing down on them.
-
Keep the cooked pancakes warm in a low oven on a wire rack, not stacked on a plate, so the bases stay crisp. Serve with butter, syrup and berries.
Tips from our kitchen
- No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 480ml of whole milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Medium-low heat, always. A hot pan gives you a dark crust and a raw middle.
- Flip only once. Every extra flip presses out the air you worked to build.
- The batter keeps for a day in the fridge, though the pancakes will rise slightly less on day two.
- Cooked pancakes freeze well. Reheat straight from frozen in a toaster.
