Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 300ml buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 50g melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

To serve:

• Maple syrup (the real stuff)
• Fresh berries
• Butter
• Crispy bacon (optional but recommended)

Method

1. Whisk dry ingredients — flour, sugar, bicarb, baking powder, salt in a large bowl.
2. Whisk wet ingredients in another bowl — buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla.
3. Pour wet into dry. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until JUST combined. Lumps are good. Don’t overmix or you’ll get tough pancakes.
4. Rest the batter for 5-10 minutes. It should thicken slightly and look a bit bubbly. This is the secret to tall pancakes.
5. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add a small knob of butter, let it foam.
6. Ladle in batter — about ¼ cup per pancake. Leave space between each.
7. Cook 2-3 minutes on the first side until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set.
8. Flip carefully with a spatula. Cook another 1-2 minutes until golden underneath.
9. Keep warm in a low oven on a tray while you cook the rest.
10. Stack 3 per plate, top with a knob of butter, drizzle with maple syrup, scatter berries.

Tips

• Buttermilk is non-negotiable — the acidity reacts with bicarb to create tall fluffy pancakes. No buttermilk? Add 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to 300ml milk, rest 5 minutes.
• Don’t overmix the batter — lumps are good. Overmixing = tough pancakes. Fold until just combined.
• Rest the batter — 5-10 minutes minimum. The flour hydrates and the bicarb activates. Skip this and you get flat pancakes.
• Medium-low heat — high heat burns the outside before the inside cooks. Patience is everything.
• Real maple syrup — not “pancake syrup” or golden syrup. The flavour difference is night and day.
• Keep warm in the oven at 90°C on a tray. Don’t stack them or the steam makes them soggy.