If you asked what I want for breakfast, I wouldn’t even think of eggs and bacon, cheese toast, or oatmeal. Nope. Rather I would think of waffles, sweet muesli, or pancakes. And if my morning is going to get off to a good start, they better be served with whipped cream and bananas.
How to make classic pancakes or buttermilk pancakes
Classic pancakes are made with milk, but buttermilk pancakes are becoming more popular. The buttermilk helps to make the pancake more tender, moist, thick, and fluffy while adding richness and a slight tang. If you find you don’t like the taste buttermilk gives, regular milk creates a nice subtle flavor that compliments any topping. I like both options depending on what I’m serving them with.
If you prefer a gluten-free diet, I recommend swapping out the all-purpose flour for a 1 to 1 gluten free flour mix. My favorites are the King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill brands. These pancakes will turn out excellent with this substitution.
Depending on the heat and size of your pancakes, they should cook for about 1-3 minutes on each side. The bottom should be golden brown and some bubbles should appear on the surface. If the bottom appears too dark or too light, adjust the heat accordingly.
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How to serve pancakes
You can serve these pancakes with maple syrup, butter, jam, powdered sugar, or fresh fruit for a light meal. Or you can be like me and load them with anything and everything, such as chocolate syrup, chocolate ganache, melted peanut butter, chocolate chips, Nutella and bananas, or strawberries and cream. The sky is the limit! I love serving these with bacon or sausage on the side for a savory bite to cut the sweet.
Classic Pancakes (Milk or Buttermilk)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140 grams/5 ounces) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams/0.8 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk (see notes for buttermilk)
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams/1 ounces) butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Canola oil/cooking spray/butter , for coating the pan
Instructions
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In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
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Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined and moistened. Do not over mix.
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Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray or oil. For each pancake, drop ¼ cup of batter onto skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes, until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and the bottom appears golden brown. Flip carefully and cook another 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Make sure to coat the skillet before every pancake or batch of pancakes to prevent sticking.
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Serve immediately while pancakes are still warm. Drizzle with maple syrup or desired topping.
Recipe Notes
Milk can be substituted with buttermilk for more tang and tenderness. In that case, reduce the amount of baking powder to 1 teaspoon and add ¼ teaspoon baking soda. Substitute 1 cup milk with 1 cup buttermilk.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
these pancakes look so perfect, definitely recreating the recipe tomorrow morning for breakfast. i hope mine turn out as good looking as your batch!
Shiran says
I’m sure they will! Everything you make always looks perfect!
Autumn says
Yum. I made it for breakfast this morning and it tasted great! Easy and simple.
Shiran says
Thank you, Autumn! I’m glad you like it!
Chhitij says
Turned out perfect. Very very good.
Samantha says
I just made these and they were great! All I had was a cup of buttermilk leftover from a cake I made for thanksgiving and wanted to make pancakes but all other recipes called for 2 to 3 cups of it! Luckily I found your recipe and it was fantastic. Thank you!
Shiran says
Thank you, Samantha! Happy Thanksgiving!
Tomi says
The. Best. Pancakes. EVER!!!
They are so fluffy! And so soft, almost melting in my mouth. And no taste of baking powder!
Tbh, I thought I would keep them for two days, but I ate alone the entire batch in one go. They are irresistible!
Amy says
Very easy to follow recipe for tasty pancakes! i used soy milky brand soy milk and nuttelex buttery spread instead and turned out great.
Laraine says
Your recipe differs from mine only in that I use 10 fl oz milk. I get 10 pancakes. I quite agree with you about the mixing. It needs to be done slowly. Recipes that tell you to beat the batter cause the pancakes to be rubbery. My recipe comes from pre-metric days and I don’t believe in translating old recipes into metric measurements .
PRDJNM says
No if you beat them they are not rubbery they just still have little chunks of flower and your recipe stinks.
PRDJNM says
I colored them and they were a huge hit! and they tasted amazing! 5 stars.