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!