Classic Buttermilk Pancakes - Paula Deen (2024)

FAQs

Why are my buttermilk pancakes not fluffy? ›

Not Letting the Batter Rest: Once you've mixed the batter, stop and do something else, like set the table and heat up the griddle. Waiting at least ten minutes before you start cooking allows the flour to fully hydrate and the leavening to start working, giving your pancakes the lift they need to be fluffy.

Use Buttermilk

If your pancake mix calls for water or milk, substitute in an equal amount of buttermilk. Because of its acidity, buttermilk activates baking soda and helps baked goods rise, giving them a light, fluffy texture.

Buttermilk Makes Fluffier Pancakes

But buttermilk doesn't just help create those air bubbles; it helps retain them, too, especially in an application such as pancakes. Its creamy body yields a thick batter that's exceptionally good at holding on to those air bubbles during cooking.

A – Ideally make your batter and let it rest for about 30 minutes before cooking. This allows the flour to absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter and fluffier. Q – Why buttermilk? The acidity of buttermilk reacts with the raising agents to make you pancakes lighter and fluffier.

The secret to fluffy restaurant style pancakes? Buttermilk! The acid in the buttermilk reacts to the leavening agents in the pancake batter, creating air bubbles that make the pancakes tall and fluffy. It's a simple switch that makes all the difference.

Thus, buttermilk can give pancakes a better texture and make them tender in your mouth. Buttermilk pancakes may also make your pancakes have more flavor layers. The buttermilk adds tang, which compliments the other ingredients well, making your pancakes more robust and gourmet.

Use Skimmed Milk to Make Your Pancake Batter

One of the easiest ways to make your pancakes healthier and less calorific is to use skimmed milk as opposed to semi-skimmed or whole milk in your batter.

Instead of water, you can use any kind of milk, including almond milk and coconut milk, to mix up the pancake batter. Some Makers prefer the flavor of our pancakes when you use milk instead of water. Using milk will cause the pancakes to become a darker color.

Add Some Butter

You can't get buttery soft pancakes without butter. Melted butter rounds out the texture of pancakes by adding just the right amount of fat to keep the stacks rich and moist. No need to go crazy with it, though; a little goes a long way.

Should pancake batter rest in the fridge or room temperature? ›

Before you cook your pancakes, you should allow your batter to 'settle'. 24 hours in the fridge is ample time, but it may have thickened up a little when you take it back out, so just loosen up with a splash of milk. When you come to cook the perfect pancakes, the temperature of your pan is crucial.

Glutens are long protein molecules that have an elastic quality. Just like dough expands when you allow it to rest before baking, the gluten in the pancake batter stretches and expands. As it stretches, pockets of air begin to form, making your pancakes airy and light.

When the baking soda and the buttermilk are combined in the batter, the leavening agent in the baking soda is activated by the buttermilk to create carbon dioxide. Bubbles of gas are caught in the batter as it cooks and this is what makes the pancake fluffy. Letting the batter sit will result in dense, flat pancakes.

Making pancake and waffle batter ahead of time is a huge no-no and will lead to flat, dense results every time. Even letting your batter hang out for just a few minutes after you've mixed it before you start ladling it onto the griddle will lead to less fluffy results.

(Simply add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice to 2 cups milk and let that sit for about 10 minutes.) The acid in the buttermilk or lemon juice is the key to fluffy pancakes; when the acid reacts with baking soda, the combination forms bubbles, which create lighter, fluffier pancakes.