Buttermilk Pancakes

I reserve pancake making for the weekends. My daughter Malloree’s favorite breakfast of all breakfasts is a stack of heavily buttered and lightly syruped pancakes. This is my number-one go-to recipe, and what I love about it is that any leftover pancakes can be frozen and reheated on busy school mornings.

MAKES 16 FULL-SIZE OR ABOUT 36 SILVER-DOLLAR PANCAKES • TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coconut oil, for the griddle

DIRECTIONS:

• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk to break up any clumps and make a well in the center.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Pour this into the well in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. A slightly lumpy batter is okay.
• Heat an electric griddle to 350ºF or a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. (If I’m using a skillet, I always have to adjust between the two temperatures to get it just right, so keep a close eye on it.)
• Lightly oil the griddle (or skillet) with coconut oil. Scoop ¼ cup of the batter and pour it onto the griddle. I usually griddle four to six pancakes at a time. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bottoms are dark golden and the air bubbles pop and no longer fill back in with batter, then flip and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the second side. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately or keep them warm in a low oven while you make the rest.

SIMPLY SCRATCH TIP

I love to make a double batch of pancakes, freeze them, and reheat during the week for breakfast. Once the pancakes are cool, lay them in batches in a single layer on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. Now you can stack them, however many at a time, wrap them in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and freeze. They should last a month or two in the freezer. Who doesn’t love insta-breakfast?