have you even ever had a pancake?
Hello and welcome to Home Movies Tuesday! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:
Greetings from “VACATION.” I am gone for the week watching turtles eat kale.
But Home Movies DO NOT QUIT, so in my stead, please let me introduce you to Jane Morgan (a.k.a. JaneCooksForYou a.k.a. JCFY) who’s here to spread the word on this week’s Home Movies: PANCAKES (for waffle people).
[I am a waffle person through and through, and even I (waffle person) am frankly obsessed with these pancakes. Enough so that we all here at Home Movies felt that they deserved their own Home Movie.]
Please give Jane (an incredible home cook and fellow dill evangelist) a warm welcome, as you’ll be hearing more from her on Tuesdays.
Hi everyone! Jane here. I’m neither a morning person nor a breakfast person, but the fact that I'm potentially only ten minutes away from a plate of pancakes (an objectively fantastic food) is enough to have me reconsider both of those things.
This recipe is simple and, as promised, perfect. If you’re turned off by too-sweet, definitely flat, maybe soggy pancakes, then know you are in good company because these are well-seasoned (read: a little salty), supremely fluffy, and crispy-edged. There’s even a Chef’s Treat™ in it for you in the form of the tester pancake, and what are we living for if not a Chef’s Treat.
The most genius piece of advice this recipe has taught me is that not everything has to go on top of the pancake. Keeping the toppings on the side for dipping preserves the crispy, golden edges and fluffy texture you worked so hard to achieve, and allows you to assemble a perfect bite every single time.
If you simply must top them with something other than softened butter and maple syrup, you can dress them up as sweet or savory as you’d like. If you still have a jar of that citrus marmalade from newsletters past in the fridge (you did make extra, right?), this is the time to bust it out. And yes, warm, crispy pancakes smeared with butter and topped with cold, tart marmalade and flaky salt is in fact my love language–thank you for asking!
PERFECT, CRISPY PANCAKES
serves 4
A perfect pancake should be almost more savory than sweet, with crispiness that rivals a waffle. These are that, but could also be described as fluffy, slightly eggy and “deeply breakfasty.” Don’t be discouraged if it takes more than one pancake to nail the heat of your skillet— every stove is different, and depending on the vessel you’re making them in, might require some adjustment.
The best piece of advice I could give you would be to be more patient than you probably want to be— Pancakes need to be treated low-ish and slow-ish (flipping them before they’re fully set on the first side will cause them to immediately deflate rather than keep their tall and fluffy structure).
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
2 ½ cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Coconut oil for the pan (vegetable or canola oil can be used as well)
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt together in a bowl.
In a medium bowl (or the measuring cup you measured your buttermilk in), whisk the eggs into buttermilk. Gently whisk this mixture into your dry ingredients— it’s okay if more than a few lumps remain. Add the melted butter and (still) gently, whisk everything together, moving towards the outside of the bowl, until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not overbeat (a few lumps are fine, trust!).
If you like, the batter at this stage can be refrigerated for an hour or two.
Heat a large nonstick griddle or skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat for a few minutes, until the skillet is visibly hot. Add 1-2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and turn heat down to medium-low. Using a measuring cup, ladle 1/4-1/3 cup batter into the skillet (depending on how large you like your pancakes).
If you’re using a large skillet (or a griddle), feel free to make one-two more, just making sure they aren’t spreading to make one giant pancake.
Once you notice a few bubbles begin rising on the surface and the bottoms are nicely browned (this will take about 2 to 4 minutes), flip them. Cook until the other sides are lightly browned, another 2 minutes or so. If you’re making a bunch at a time, you can move pancakes as they’re ready to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet, and keep in a 325° oven until all the batter is cooked and you’re ready to serve.
How long do you think this batter would keep in the fridge? This seems like the dream recipe for when you wake up and want exactly 2.5 pancakes (including first pancake) and want to wrap the batter for a friend or neighbor to use the next day or so.
My #1 reason for keeping buttermilk in the fridge. So so good, Alison! Thank you!