I thought I would try out buttermilk in a recipe using real buttermilk before creating any of the adulterous substitutions (e.g., adding 1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk) to see what it does with pancakes. And it's not just the extra fat in the recipe that makes these pancakes very fluffy indeed, but the slightly sour taste of the buttermilk gives a bit of an edge to them as well.
While my basic pancake recipe is based on Alton Brown's, this ingredient ratio is from Martha Stewart's recipe site. I thawed about a cup of frozen blueberries in warm water and drained them before adding them to the pancakes. What makes this recipe a success goes beyond the basic ingredients and is really due to the order of operations.
I'll be eating blueberries for a while longer with more than four quarts of them in the freezer. Only five more months until they are in peak season again. I might have gone a little bit overboard picking them last summer at a local farm. I couldn't resist how inexpensive and locally grown they were.
Ingredients
1 1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. cultured buttermilk
1/2 c. whole milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 c. frozen blueberries, thawed and drained
Directions
1. In a bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together, then whisk in the buttermilk, whole milk, and melted butter. If the dairy is too cold, the butter will firm up again.
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Take care to not over-mix the batter.
4. Heat a nonstick griddle or cast iron pan and melt half a pat of butter in it before adding the first pancake. Use a ladle or soup serving spoon to spoon the batter into the pan. Add some blueberries to the pancake. When bubbles form around the edges, gently flip the pancake and cook its other side.
