For me, pancakes are the quintessential Breakfast food. When I was growing up they were a special treat that only came about every once in a great while, usually while my Aunt was visiting. Although my childhood pancakes were always made from Bisquick mix… nowadays, it is absolutely pertinent that all pancakes made in my kitchen are from scratch. I’m usually not so partial with recipes, but for the last few years I have been using this recipe as my “go-to” pancake recipe. And I still think it makes some of the very best homemade pancakes I have ever had. There are some mornings though where I want pancakes, but I just don’t feel like separating eggs and whipping up whites, etc, etc. It’s just not a simple, quick, everyday kind of pancake recipe ya know? And for that to be my only pancake recipe is just not fair to all you novice bakers out there. That’s where these babies come in to play : )
My Father-in-law introduced me to this recipe about a year ago when he was visiting and we were both in a monster debate about who had the better pancake recipe. We took two mornings and made each of our recipes in a pseudo “pancake off” if you will. And who was the reigning champ? Well, we really couldn’t say. The pancake recipes were so different that it was hard for them to be compared equally.
This pancake recipe uses whole eggs and relies on both sour cream and buttermilk, where as my “go-to” recipe uses separated eggs and milk. The difference in these few ingredients produces two very different textures. The separated egg method, albeit a little bit more tedious to throw together, produces a pancake more akin to what you would get at a restaurant or diner. This Cooks Illustrated pancake is very easy to mix up, making a beautifully thick batter, and a pancake with a texture similar to that of a muffin. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as thick as a muffin exactly, it’s just not as light as the recipe which separates the eggs (for obvious reasons). It’s a no-fail kind of recipe that is perfect for those needing a good staple pancake recipe for a quick fix. Plus it’s delicious : )
- 2 cups (10 oz) all purpose flour
- 2 Tb sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tb unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1-2 tsp vegetable oil
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.Spray wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; place in oven. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and melted butter. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Stir until just combined (batter will be lumpy with a few streaks of flour). Do NOT overmix! Let batter sit for 10 minutes before cooking.
- Heat 1 tsp oil in 12″ nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil., leaving thing film of oil on bottom. Using ¼ cup measure, scoop batter into pan in 4 places. Cooks until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, 2-3 minutes. Using thing spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook 1-2 minutes, until the second side is golden brown. Serve pancakes immediately or transfer to wire rack in oven. Use last tsp of oil and repeat with remaining batter.
adapted from ”The New Best Recipe” By Cooks Illustrated
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve shared this recipe with all my friends…it’s perfect! Thank you for posting! I made it with brown sugar because I was out of white, and the pancakes were delicious, fluffy and caramel-y!
By the way, I think you may have left the word “sugar” out of the text of the recipe. The quantity is in the list, but I don’t see it in the directions.
Thanks for catching that! I’m glad you like them : )
Wonderful! This recipe has now been printed and put in my recipe binder. It’s just that good. None of the other pancake recipes I have use sour cream and it really sets this one apart. I did substitute 1 c. of flour for 1/2 c. of oat flour (it’s a very fine flour) and 1/2 c. Bisquick flour because I was low on flour. Yummy!