Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Butter
Tall, fluffy buttermilk pancakes with crisp edges, soft middles and warm maple butter — the weekend stack, with every trick for maximum rise included.
There is a particular kind of disappointment reserved for a flat pancake. It looks the part in the pan, then lands on the plate thin, tough and faintly sad. These are the opposite: tall, soft-centred pancakes with lacy, crisp edges, the kind that soak up maple syrup like they were designed for it — because they were.
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The secret is not a secret ingredient. It is buttermilk doing two jobs at once, a batter that is mixed far less than you think it should be, and a short rest that most recipes skip. Get those three things right and the stack takes care of itself.
Why this recipe works
Buttermilk is acidic, and that acidity reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to produce a burst of bubbles before the batter even meets the pan. The baking powder then gives a second lift as the pancakes cook. Using both leaveners is what takes these from good to genuinely tall. The acid also tenderises the flour, so the crumb stays soft rather than bready.
Resting the batter for ten minutes matters more than it sounds. The flour hydrates, the raising agents get a head start, and any small lumps relax. Skip the rest and the pancakes still work — they just will not climb as high.
The key ingredients
Real buttermilk makes a difference you can taste: a gentle tang that keeps the stack from eating too sweet. If you cannot find it, stir a tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar into 300 ml of whole milk and leave it for ten minutes. It will not be identical, but it is close. Room-temperature eggs and buttermilk blend into the flour without seizing the melted butter into little flecks.
Tips for the tallest stack
Mix until the flour just disappears. Lumps are not the enemy; overmixing is, because it develops gluten and knocks out the air you have just created. Cook over a medium-low heat — too hot and the outsides scorch before the middles set. And only flip once, when bubbles cover the surface and the edges look matte rather than wet. For a second breakfast idea that bakes while you make coffee, try our spinach-and-feta-breakfast-egg-muffins.
Storage and reheating
Leftover pancakes keep in the fridge for two days, layered with baking parchment, or freeze for up to a month. Reheat from cold in a dry frying pan over a low heat, or give them 20 seconds in the microwave — the toaster works too and brings the edges back.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make the batter the night before?
You can, but the pancakes will rise a little less because the bicarbonate of soda spends its lift in the fridge. For the tallest stack, mix in the morning; it takes five minutes.
Why did my pancakes turn out rubbery?
Almost always overmixing or a pan that was too hot. Stir less, turn the heat down, and let the butter in the pan be a thin film rather than a pool.
Can I add blueberries or chocolate chips?
Yes — scatter them over the batter once it is in the pan rather than stirring them through, so they do not sink or streak the batter blue.
Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Butter
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 300 ml buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 40 g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the pan
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Maple syrup and soft butter, to serve
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a second bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir with a spatula until just combined — a few small lumps are fine. Rest the batter for 10 minutes.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat and brush with a little butter.
- Add a small ladleful of batter per pancake (about 80 ml) and cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges look set.
- Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until golden and cooked through. Keep warm in a low oven (100°C, gas mark 1/4) while you cook the rest.
- Serve in stacks with soft butter and plenty of warm maple syrup.
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