John's Pancakes

I am not exactly what you would call a morning person, morning for me is closer to noon then anything else. John on the other hand wakes up a bit happier than I do.  Which means he was elected to make breakfast or should I say brunch. He is the breakfast cook in our house also because he is so much better at it then I am. Cooking eggs takes a certain type of person and that has never ever been me. Even when I have been forced to work brunch during my career it was pure hell. John on the other hand sails through a brunch service and still liked the world at the end of it.

About 3 years ago John found this recipe for pancakes in Saveur magazine and he has been using it since, it is so simple and the pancakes are crispy on the outside and tender and cake like on the inside. Part of why we wanted to put this recipe on our blog is to encourage people to stop using pancake mixes. Pancake mixes are full of stuff that none of us need. Once you see how simple it is to make these you will never buy store bought again!

There are just two things to keep in mind when making pancakes. The first is not to over mix the batter. Just mix until the batter comes together a few lumps are ok. If you mix to much then your cakes will become tough and chewy. The second thing to remember is to make sure your pan or griddle is on a medium heat. Cooking the pancakes too hot will cause the cakes to burn and be gooey inside. The only other thing to keep in mind is to make sure and use the best syrup you can afford to crown your cakes. In the summer we scatter fresh blueberries on the cakes as they are cooking on the first side. One last tip if you do not have buttermilk combine 2 tablespoon of white vinegar with 2 cups of milk and allow to stand about 10 minutes. We use this when there isn't any buttermilk in the house and we need pancakes.  Eat this now!

pancake ingredients

John's Pancakes

Makes: about 12

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

To prepare the pancakes, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to mix well. In a separate bowl add the eggs and whisk until a bit frothy. Add the buttermilk and mix well. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Gently fold in the butter.  Heat a large non-stick saute pan or griddle with a bit of butter over medium heat. Ladle as many pancakes that will fit without overcrowding the pan. Cook the pancakes until the tops bubble. Flip and cook until the cakes are golden brown about 4-5 minutes total. Remove from the griddle and serve warm.

Recipe taken from Saveur number 87

Yum!