Spiced Buttermilk Pancakes

About This Recipe

This is a classic American diner-style buttermilk pancake, built on the same base used across countless family kitchens: buttermilk reacting with baking soda to create a fast, reliable rise, and a rest period that lets the gluten relax so the pancakes turn out tender instead of tough. Cinnamon and nutmeg are stirred into the dry ingredients for a warm background note that makes these feel a little more special than a plain pancake without turning them into a spice cake. The technique that separates good pancakes from great ones is restraint: the batter should be mixed only until the dry streaks disappear, since overmixing develops gluten and produces dense, rubbery pancakes instead of light, fluffy ones. A few lumps in the batter are a good sign, not a mistake. Cooked on a well-preheated griddle until bubbles form and pop across the surface, then flipped once, these pancakes are what a Saturday morning breakfast table in most American homes has looked like for generations.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupsall-purpose flour
• 2 tbspgranulated sugar
• 2 tspbaking powder
• 0.5 tspbaking soda
• 0.75 tspground cinnamon
• 0.25 tspground nutmeg
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 2 cupsbuttermilk
• 2 largeeggs
• 4 tbspunsalted butter(melted, plus more for the griddle)
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1 cupmaple syrup(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dry ingredients

   Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl.

2. 2

   Mix the wet ingredients

   In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla until combined.

3. 3

   Combine gently

   Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a spatula just until the streaks of flour disappear. A few small lumps are fine.

   Stop stirring as soon as you no longer see dry flour — overmixed batter makes tough, flat pancakes instead of light, fluffy ones.

4. 4

   Rest the batter

   Let the batter sit for 5-10 minutes; this allows the baking powder to activate and the gluten to relax.

5. 5

   Cook the pancakes

   Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat and butter lightly. Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake. Cook 2-3 minutes until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, then flip and cook 1-2 minutes more until golden.

6. 6

   Serve warm

   Stack pancakes and serve immediately with butter and warm maple syrup.

Variations

• •

  Fold in a cup of fresh blueberries just before cooking for classic blueberry pancakes.

• •

  Substitute half the buttermilk with mashed ripe banana for a naturally sweeter, denser pancake.

• •

  Use whole wheat flour for half the all-purpose flour for a heartier, nuttier version.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked pancakes up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months between layers of parchment. Reheat in a toaster or 175C (350F) oven until warmed through; microwaving makes them rubbery.

Frequently Asked Questions