When I was a little kid, the most exciting days were always when my mom would take time off work and we’d go out to breakfast. Now, still, whenever I come home, my mom usually blocks off a morning for Bette’s. I’m not sure which is the greater draw for her, actually — some quality time with her ever-nomadic, ever-aging daughter or these pancakes. Probably the pancakes.
I, for one, don’t usually order pancakes when I go out for breakfast. I can never finish them, and I always end up wishing I had ordered something savory. This is why going to breakfast with your mom is nice! She will let you eat as much of her pancakes as you want, while you get to enjoy corned beef hash. The other reason I don’t usually order pancakes is, while it would take me longer than I want on a Saturday or Sunday morning to make a corned beef hash, it is pretty ridiculously easy to make pancakes. But still, Bette’s pancakes are so great, that logic didn’t quite hold up — because a Bette’s pancake was a pancake worth ordering in a restaurant, and one you couldn’t quite make yourself. Until now…
Or really, until 1999, when this recipe was first published in the San Francisco Chronicle (Bette’s also has a cookbook, and sells pancake and waffle mix). I just found it recently, though, when headed up to Northern Minnesota for a weekend with my writer compadres. For some reason, weekend trip, to me, screams pancakes. There’s something about everyone gathering, hungover, around noon, in a heated cabin, with coffee gurgling and bacon frying and everyone switching off to fry pancakes, coming out three at a time, to make for a leisurely brunch.
All we had in the cabin was a cast-iron pan, which was a little hard to get used to at first, but produced great results — crispier, browner pancakes than I’ve ever had before (you just have to ignore a little inevitable charring). A regular skillet will work just fine, though.
Beyond my reminiscing about breakfasts with my mother, and my revelation vis a vis cast-iron pans, and the addition of buttermilk in this recipe, Kevin has covered pancake-cooking technique (and cooking-ahead technique, and storing technique) extremely thoroughly in a previous post on regular, buttermilk-free pancakes.
Pancakes. One of the world’s most perfect foods
Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from Bette’s Oceanview Diner, via SF Chronicle
Makes about 24 four-inch pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 c. buttermilk
- 1/2 c. milk
- 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
- Butter/vegetable oil for griddle or skillet
- Optional: berries, sliced bananas, raisins or chopped toasted nuts
1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
2. Lightly beat the eggs with the buttermilk, milk and melted butter.
3. Just before you are ready to make the pancakes, add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once, stirring just long enough to blend. The batter should be slightly lumpy.
4. I like to sprinkle the berries on the pancakes once they’re in the pan, but you can also stir them in now.
5. Heat a lightly buttered/oiled griddle or heavy skillet (or cast-iron pan) over medium-high heat (375 degrees on an electric griddle).
6. Pour a big spoonful (about ¼ c.) batter per pancake onto the griddle or skillet. Try to space the pancakes apart so they do not run together (you can see in the photo above that we were unsuccessful at this). This is the point where I like to sprinkle blueberries over, because I think it’s more fun that way, and also that they’re less likely to get crushed.
7. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes and the undersides are lightly browned, turn and cook for about 2 minutes longer, until lightly browned on the bottom.
8. Serve immediately, with more butter, syrup, and, most importantly, bacon.