Buttermilk Pancakes

I was pondering over what to write for this post and decided to look up "pancakes" in Wikipedia. It was fascinating to learn that different countries around the world have their own version of pancakes, be they sweet or savoury. Of course, the ones that most of us are better acquainted with are American-style pancakes, Australian pikelets (mini-sized ones) or crepes (which are thin pancakes). It was the long Labour Day weekend and the kids asked for pancakes this morning, and so I made pancakes!

I remember seeing Nami's post on Buttermilk pancakes a while back, and her pancakes looked so good! Moreover, it was a really simple recipe and although I didn't have any buttermilk on hand, I could easily make some using fresh milk with a splash of lemon added to it. They did take a while to make because I only had one pan and made the pancakes one at at time. However, these pancakes were wonderfully light and fluffy, unlike the dense, heavy and cakey types that can be found in some restaurants. I served the these lovely pancakes with raspberry coulis, fresh blueberries and maple syrup, although the kids wanted theirs with only syrup or Nutella.

Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from Just One Cookbook

1 1/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups of buttermilk

2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 tsp almond essence (optional - I omitted this)

Some butter, to grease the pan

Maple syrup, butter and fresh fruit, to serve

 

Method

 

In a large bowl, put the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and whisk together.

 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and sugar. Whisk in the buttermilk, melted butter and almond essence. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and combined.

 

Heat a non-stick pan or skillet on medium heat, and add a tiny amount of butter to grease the surface. Pour about ¾ cup of batter onto hot pan from 12 inch high. This is necessary for a nice circular shape. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. This takes about 3 minutes. When the surface looks almost dry, flip the pancake over to cook the other side for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to a serving plate and repeat the steps above to make the rest of the pancakes. Serve the pancakes immediately with syrup, butter, fresh fruits or anything you fancy.