Buttermilk pancakes - easy and delicious

One of the things I have this blog to thank for is learning how to make pancakes, or American style pancakes as we call them here – I grew up eating what we call pancakes here, which are thin like crepes and filled with savory fillings like beef mince or chicken, and covered with tomato or Béchamel sauce (they’re very much like manicotti).

The pancakes I grew up with are delicious, indeed, and I still make them every now and then, but they are not fit for breakfast or those afternoons when you crave something sweet and there isn’t much in the pantry or refrigerator to bake or cook with – for those occasions, fluffy pancakes drizzled with syrup are perfect.

These are fluffy, delicious and super easy to make – I have lost track of how many times I have made this recipe, always with wonderful results. When I’m not in a hurry to watch something on TV I cook a sliced banana in a bit of butter, sugar and cinnamon until it’s caramelized and eat with the pancakes – so, so good.

Buttermilk pancakes
from the delicious Bill's Basics

100g all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled + a bit extra for frying the pancakes
150ml buttermilk*

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the buttermilk.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat and brush it lightly with butter. Using about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake, pour the batter onto the pan and cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes – when bubbles appear on the surface, turn the pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side.
Serve with maple syrup, honey, dusted with icing sugar or with whatever strikes your fancy.

* homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken slightly, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Makes about 10