Tall Buttermilk Pancakes

Name: Tall Buttermilk Pancakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled); 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 0.5 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 cups buttermilk (well shaken, cold); 2 large eggs; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled, plus more for the griddle); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Thick, tangy diner-style pancakes with a custardy middle and lacy, butter-fried edges.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

4 servings

2 cups all-purpose flourspooned and leveled
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups buttermilkwell shaken, cold
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted buttermelted and cooled, plus more for the griddle
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl for a full 15 seconds so the leaveners are evenly distributed — dry pockets of baking soda turn bitter and grey.
In a second bowl whisk the buttermilk and eggs until the mixture is uniform and pale, then whisk in the melted butter and vanilla. Add the butter last and off the heat; if the buttermilk is warm the butter will seize into pellets.
Pour the wet into the dry and fold with a rubber spatula just until no dry flour remains, about 12 strokes. The batter should be lumpy and thick enough to mound on the spatula. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you flat, rubbery pancakes.
Rest the batter 10 minutes at room temperature. It will thicken and you will see bubbles rise to the surface — that is the baking powder hydrating, and it is what buys you height.
Heat a cast-iron griddle or heavy skillet over medium-low for 5 minutes. Test it: a drop of water should skitter and evaporate in 2 to 3 seconds. Too hot and the outside browns before the center sets.
Brush the griddle with butter and wipe most of it away with a paper towel. Ladle 1/3 cup batter per pancake, leaving 2 inches between them. Do not spread the batter — let it find its own edge.
Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges look dry and matte, bubbles break the surface and stay open, and the underside is deep golden. Flip once.
Cook the second side 1 to 2 minutes, until the pancake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. Never press down with the spatula — you are squeezing out the air you just built.
Hold finished pancakes in a single layer on a wire rack in a 200°F oven while you cook the rest. Stacking them on a plate traps steam and turns the crust soggy.

Tips

Make your own buttermilk in a pinch. Stir 2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice into 2 cups of whole milk and let it sit 10 minutes until it looks curdled. It is thinner than real buttermilk, so pull back 2 tablespoons of liquid.

The griddle temperature matters more than the recipe. The first pancake is always a sacrifice — it tells you whether to nudge the heat up or down. Aim for a pancake that takes a full 2 minutes on the first side.

Butter the griddle, do not pool it. A slick of butter wiped thin gives you even browning and lacy edges. A puddle fries the batter and leaves dark blotches.

Variations

Blueberry: Ladle the batter, then drop 8 to 10 berries onto each pancake. Folding them into the bowl bruises them and turns the whole batch grey-green.
Banana walnut: Add 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts to the dry ingredients and lay thin banana coins on the wet batter before flipping.
Buckwheat: Replace 1/2 cup of the flour with buckwheat flour and add an extra tablespoon of sugar to balance the minerality.

Tall Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

Method

Tips

Variations

Cook this next

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Buttermilk Fried Chicken