Weeknight
American pancakes
Fluffy, light and utterly unpretentious — the perfect vehicle for savoury or sweet. Breakfast for dinner is my comfort food, and this is the base for all of it.
American pancakes are a lot less pretentious than their French cousin the crêpe. When I am sick, this is what I crave: soft, warm, forgiving, and ready to go savoury with scrambled eggs and sausage or sweet with compote.
Savoury: scrambled eggs, sausage, chives — and tomato salad on the side
Method
- 01
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb and salt together in a big bowl — the dry mix needs to be properly aerated, so whisk more than feels necessary.
- 02
In a jug, beat the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla until smooth.
- 03
Pour the wet into the dry and fold with a spatula just until there is no dry flour left. Lumps are correct. Overmixing gives you rubber discs instead of clouds.
- 04
Rest the batter for 10 minutes. This is not optional — the flour hydrates and the raising agents wake up, and that's where the fluff comes from.
- 05
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low and wipe it with a little butter. Too hot and they burn before they rise.
- 06
Ladle in a scant quarter-cup per pancake. Cook until bubbles come up and hold their shape at the edges, 2–3 minutes.
- 07
Flip once, cook another 1–2 minutes until puffed and golden. Only ever flip once.
- 08
Keep them warm in a low oven on a rack — not stacked on a plate, or the steam softens the edges.
- 09
Serve savoury with soft scrambled eggs, sausage and a simple saucy tomato salad; or sweet with blueberry compote, bananas Foster, maple syrup and butter.
Serve it with
Pairings
- Cheeses
- Savoury stack: grated mature cheddar or crumbled feta folded straight into the batter.
- Cold meats
- Sausages, streaky bacon, or thin slices of ham warmed in the sausage pan.
- Seafood
- Smoked salmon or trout ribbons with crème fraîche, dill and lemon.
- Salads & vegetables
- The simple saucy tomato salad below — the vinegar cuts straight through the butter.
Keep cooking
