To make some extra money when I was living in San Francisco, I took a second job taking care of a local couple’s daughter. Once, they asked me to come to their weekend home in Napa to watch their daughter and to cook breakfast. The husband, Christopher, gave me his recipe for pancakes—a family favorite. I doubled the recipe to ensure there would be enough for everyone. As I flipped them on the griddle, I could see why everyone loved the recipe—they were the thickest, fluffiest pancakes I had ever made. I placed the plate on the dining table, stacked high with a tower of pancakes, and they were amazed. What happened? they asked. Why are they like this? Turns out, I had accidentally doubled the baking powder and baking soda—the leavening ingredients—which is a baking no-no and usually results in disaster, but in this case, led to pancake perfection. I never told them what I had done . . .
Makes 5 or 6 servings
1 Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
2 Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
3 In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
4 Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and lightly whisk to combine. Lumps are okay; resist the urge to mix more. (The secret to thick, fluffy pancakes is not to overmix. My trick is to stir it enough times to spell P-A-N-C-A-K-E, and then stop.) Add the melted butter and stir briefly just to combine.
5 Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Melt some butter in the skillet to keep the pancakes from sticking.
6 Spoon a big spoonful (roughly ⅓ cup/71 milliliters) of batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook for about 4 minutes on the first side, until you see bubbles form and then pop on the top of the pancake. (Forming bubbles on top is really important, because they hold the pancake up and keep it thick—I call them pancake pillars.) Flip the pancakes and cook for about 2 minutes on the second side, until brown. Transfer the pancakes to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, adding butter to the skillet as needed between batches.
7 Enjoy warm, with butter and maple syrup. Any leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil and warm in a preheated 300ºF (150ºC) oven for 10 minutes.