Pancakes

I started making pancakes every Saturday when my oldest was about 3 years old. So, at the time of this writing roughly 14 years now. I decided to add this to the site because 1, I needed a place to easily find these recipes, and 2, I get asked by my friends a lot about what recipes are my favorite.

I wasn’t very good at them when I started, it took a lot of trial and error, plus countless recipes to find the “perfect” pancake. (re: Pancakes that turn out well and that my kids will eat.) A couple of tips, don’t overmix the batter. Start with your dry ingredients and then add your wet and combine just enough that they are together and you don’t have to use a scorching hot pan, 325 seems to be the perfect temp. Low and slow. (Bonus Tip, I add chocolate chips to all of these except the Dutch Baby and Lemon Blueberry.)

Here are my “go-to” recipes:

(I added a couple of “bonus” Waffle recipes that I like)

The Best-Ever Fluffy Pancakes

(This is now our go-to recipe, they are pretty much perfect every time.)

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1tsp salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs

After you mix up everything let it sit for 20 or 30 minutes to let the buttermilk and baking soda/power do whatever it does to make it fluffy. It’s science.

Source: Magnolia Table

Sour Cream Pancakes

(These are Lindsay’s favorite and I make them 90% of the time. I double it for the family)

  • 1 cup Sour Cream
  • 7 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 whole Large Eggs
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Source: Pioneer Woman

7UP Pancakes

These pancakes taste almost exactly like McDonalds pancakes, which in my opinion are the best fast food pancakes you can get. (This is the only time I would every use pre-packaged pancake mix. It’s too easy to make your own and it tastes SO much better.)

  • 2 cups Bisquick® Pancake & Baking Mix
  • 1-1/4 cups 7UP®
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. oil

Source: 7UP.com

Pete’s Scratch Pancakes

(Kid’s favorite. No, I don’t know who Pete is. This recipe was dethroned by the ‘Best-Ever Fluffy Pancakes’)

  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 3 Tablespoons Sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 2 Eggs (beat separately before adding to dry ingredients)
  • ¼ Cup Butter Melted
  • 1 ¾ Cup Milk

Source: Food.com

Dutch Baby Pancake

(Super easy. I double it and make two for the family.)

  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preparation: (You need to read this.)

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Combine eggs, flour, milk, sugar, and nutmeg in a blender jar and blend until smooth. The batter may also be mixed by hand.
  3. Place butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or baking dish and place in the oven. As soon as the butter has melted (watch it so it does not burn) add the batter to the pan, return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake five minutes longer.
  4. Remove pancake from oven, cut into wedges and serve at once topped with syrup, preserves, confectioners’ sugar, or cinnamon sugar.

Source: Cooking.NYTimes.com

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

(My favorites, but the kids won’t eat them so I rarely make them.)

  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, or use whole milk
  • 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon honey, adding in more honey if you like a sweeter pancake
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 3-4 tablespoons blueberry jam (optional)

Source: Halfbakedharvest.com

Overnight Pancakes

yield: 24 (3-INCH) PANCAKES prep time: 8 HRS 15 MINSc cook time: 20 MINS total time: 8 HRS 35 MINS

  • 4 cups (568 g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast, see note for active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 4 cups buttermilk (see note)
  • ¼ cup neutral-flavored oil, like vegetable, canola, avocado, etc

Instructions:

In a large bowl (with room for the batter to bubble up a couple inches), whisk together the flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Add the eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Mix until evenly combined (don’t overmix, just mix until no dry streaks remain).

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or up to 24 hours). When ready to make the pancakes, uncover the bowl and give the batter a quick stir (just once or twice with a spoon or spatula; don’t stir vigorously or overmix). Cook the pancakes on a hot griddle or skillet and serve.

Notes:

Yeast: if you only have active dry yeast, use the same amount and dissolve in ¼ cup warm water. Let the mixture stand for about five minutes until it is foamy/bubbly. Add it to the pancake batter with the other wet ingredients.

Flour: I almost always make these pancakes with 100% whole wheat flour (but they are divine and almost dessert-like with all white flour); I use white wheat as opposed to red wheat (I grind hard white wheat berries in my wheat grinder – you can read more about the differences here). Hard red wheat will work as well although the pancakes will probably be darker in color and maybe slightly more dense.

Buttermilk Substitutions: I almost always have storebought buttermilk on hand, and I haven’t tried any substitutions for this recipe; however, if doing so, my go-to buttermilk substitution these days is equal parts sour cream and milk whisked together (gives a thicker consistency similar to buttermilk), and I think that would work well in this recipe. Another popular buttermilk sub is mixing milk and lemon juice together. That works well in a lot of recipes, but because the consistency is so much thinner than storebought buttermilk, it will definitely make for a thinner batter and I’m not sure if the pancakes will be quite as fluffy (might try adding a touch more flour to compensate?).

Source: melskitchencafe.com

JFK Waffles

(I love waffles, my kids don’t like them. This is my favorite, I have no idea where I found this recipe or if they really were JFK’s favorite. I guess you can google it.)

  • ½ Cup Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 7/8 Cup Milk or 1 Cup Butter Milk
  • 1 Cup plus 1Tablespoon Sifted Flour
  • 1 Pinch of Salt
  • 2 Stiff beaten egg whites
  • 4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

Preparation:

Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolks. Beat. Add flour and milk alternately. This may be done at any time. When ready to bake fold in egg whites, and add baking powder. The mixture should be thick and fluffy.

Cook in a waffle iron and serve with hot maple syrup and melted butter.

Pumpkin Waffles

(These get made every year during the Fall, the Kids do like these.)

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground clove
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ¾ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled; plus more, softened, for serving
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • Pure maple syrup and toasted pumpkin seeds, for serving

Source: Martha Stewart