Dad’s Buttermilk Pancakes

This recipe comes straight from an e-mail from my Dad after I asked him how to make his amazing buttermilk pancakes. He made them every Saturday growing up and I am forever spoiled. I can’t order pancakes in restaurants because they just don’t measure up. See my notes after the recipe below…

Dad’s Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients & Method: (2-3 servings)
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk

1. Mix them up
2. Sift together (or just mix well) the following:

1 cup flour (Dad usually uses about 1/2 cup white, a little more than 1/4 cup whole wheat – pastry flour is best – and a little less than 1/4 cup wheat germ. But don’t try to sift the wheat germ! Just throw it in the wet ingredients.)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3. Mix everything together- Dad uses a whisk, but don’t beat it to death.
4. Cook on one side until bubbles stay open, flip and cook another minute or two. (Cook in a nonstick pan/skillet with some butter/margarine over medium heat. Dad actually uses clarified butter, which doesn’t burn.)

I made some notes:

  • I wanted more protein, so I used 2 egg whites instead of 1 egg – couldn’t tell the difference.
  • I didn’t have wheat germ, so I crushed up some bran flakes from my Raisin Bran. It worked perfectly.
  • If the batter is too thick for your liking, you can thin it out with some water – add 1/4 cup at a time until it’s the right consistency for you.
  • If you don’t have buttermilk you can actually substitute… Orange juice! Weird, I know, but apparently it tastes pretty much the same. There’s something in the chemical makeup of both buttermilk and OJ that makes this recipe work.
  • We topped ours with blueberries. I also added blueberries while the cakes were cooking – after you spoon the batter into the pan, just sprinkle the top with blueberries. Then when you flip them, you’ll have blueberries on one side.
  • We also topped them with butter, honey, and maple syrup. Delicious!

Enjoy!

6 Replies to “Dad’s Buttermilk Pancakes”

  1. Family recipes are always so interesting. It’s usually the best rendition of something because it’s the stuff we grew up with.
    Thanks for sharing this.

  2. I love that I just found this recipe, Maggie, as my dad often made me pancakes growing up, too. 🙂 I don’t know what his recipe is, but I know it’s an OLDIE but goodie, and he has it tucked away somewhere. 😉 I’m going to try this one of your dad’s, too!

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