Alton Brown loves these pancakes, calling them the best cake he’s ever had! He’s right! Pancakes are still a cake. You bake one and you griddle the other. Top these with a naturally sweet combo of strawberries and blueberries, or my favorite: raspberries! Or the end of summer may bring juicy blackberries to your part of the world. If you happen to get your hands on tiny, wild blueberries, gently fold them right into the mix after it rests for an intense berry burst in each bite. You might be surprised to hear this, but don’t put butter or oil on your cooking surface before making your pancakes. For the very best results, start with a dry, hot, nonstick surface. The batter already has butter in it, and that will help create a perfectly caramelized, evenly cooked outside that lightly crisps and protects a fluffy, cake texture inside. Getting rid of funky, uneven brown patches on the bottom of your pancakes never felt so good!
MAKES 12 PANCAKES
1 cup [140 g] whole wheat flour
1/2 cup [70 g] all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1 cup [240 ml] whole milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 cup [110 g] butter, for serving
Pure New York maple syrup (or your favorite), for serving
1/3 cup [45 g] fresh strawberries, stemmed, hulled, and sliced
1/3 cup [45 g] fresh blueberries
In a large bowl, combine both flours, the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Crack the egg into a small bowl, add the milk and melted butter, and whisk until the mixture is well combined. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix just enough to make a homogenous batter. Do not overmix! Overmixing dry flour with wet ingredients is what develops the flour’s gluten. This will make your pancakes tough. Rocky Balboa is tough. Pancakes shouldn’t be.
Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes so that the gluten in the flour has time to relax, yielding a more tender pancake.
Preheat your electric griddle to 375°F [190°C]. Or you can preheat a nonstick sauté pan or skillet over medium heat.
Pour the batter onto the griddle in 1/4 cup [60 ml] increments. A 2 oz [60 ml] ladle works great here! Form pancakes about 4 in [10 cm] wide, leaving enough space between them so that they fit comfortably on the griddle—about 2 in [5 cm] is best. Nothing beautiful is ever perfect, so don’t worry about pouring perfectly round circles onto the pan. (Sometimes I like to drizzle the batter into letters and shapes—it’s the kid in me.)
Cook the pancakes on one side until you see bubbles form on the surface in the middle of the pancake (not just at the edges) and the underside is a uniform golden brown, about 2 minutes. Use a thin spatula to flip and cook on the other side until golden brown, too, about 1 minute more.
Transfer the cooked pancakes to a platter, stacking them with pats of butter in between. Continue cooking until you have used all of your batter. Serve the pancakes immediately with your favorite maple syrup and the strawberries and blueberries on the side.
