The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

The early morning is my least favorite time of day. I have never been a morning person. I remember grumpily stumbling downstairs as a little girl and sitting on the forced air heating grate in our old kitchen, knees pushed up under my oversized night shirt, trapping the hot air that blew up like a hot air balloon while my dad stood over the stove cooking scrambled eggs or eggy toast. I never wanted to move from that spot, not for breakfast or school or even to relieve my legs and bottom from the inevitable grate imprint on them!

Not much has changed. I still stumble downstairs (coffee helps, thanks to Andrew) and feel grumpy, no matter the night of sleep. The boys need to be fed and lunches need to be packed. Backpacks and clothing and winter coats, hats, and gloves need to be located despite all my efforts at organizing them the night before. But if we are lucky, there is a batch of buttermilk pancakes in the freezer that simply needs to be thrown into the toaster for a delicious crispy breakfast. Of course, they are even better fresh, but I have found that making a big batch of these on a Sunday, then freezing the leftovers between parchment paper for the week works wonders for our morning routine. Enjoy with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for a decadent treat, or maple syrup, of course!

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

• 3 cups flour
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups buttermilk*
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted (plus more for the pan)

In one bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and milk. In a separate (larger) bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring well until incorporated. Stir in melted butter.

Warm a skillet over medium heat, melting a bit of butter and spreading over the skillet so the pancakes don’t stick. Once the skillet is hot, pour 1/3-cup sized portions of batter onto the skillet. Allow to cook until small bubbles show (about two minutes), then flip to cook other side. Continue until all batter is cooked.

This makes a ton of pancakes- plenty for freezing. Remember to allow pancakes to cook completely before sticking in the freezer, though! I hope this makes your morning routine a little easier. Hope these make it into your weekend. Have a good one!

*Buttermilk is inexpensive and has a longer shelf life than milk- plus it’s great in biscuits, pumpkin bread, and fried chicken. I find it is well worth it to keep some stocked in the fridge at all times!