When we were really young, my parents used to bring us to a little breakfast diner every Saturday morning. It was such a lovely family tradition to pack up the car bright and early, in all kinds of weather, and head down to our favorite restaurant. Without fail, we always had a huge order of buttermilk pancakes. And these were no ordinary pancakes, they were fluffy and buttery with the perfect texture.
Sadly, the little diner closed and Saturday mornings were not the same! So my mom decided that she would have to experiment to find the perfect pancake recipe that could compete with the one in our memories.
Each Saturday we would wake up to mom in the kitchen messing with a recipe. It took her about a year to come up with this recipe before we all told her to stop and write it down!
Kids Want Buttermilk Pancakes for the Entire Weekend
This recipe could be called the ‘Weekend Pancake Recipe’ also because it makes A LOT of them. But one thing we can all eat in this family is breakfast and we plow through them. However, we believe in lazy Sunday mornings, and having leftover pancakes means no one has to cook.
This recipe is also very easy to memorize, as it is based on twos and fours. We start with four cups of flour and then 2 teaspoons of baking powder and baking soda.
I like to beat the 4 eggs before adding them to the flour, as I think it makes it easier to stir.
And here is our secret. Instead of using 4 cups of buttermilk, we use 2 and then use milk for the rest. The mix can get too thick with only buttermilk, which makes it difficult to cook in the middle without burning the edges.
After we mix these ingredients just enough that we don’t see flour, we stop! And then we wait! Let the mixture do its thing and have its chemical reactions. (We are beginning chemistry in school and I know we will be coming back to this.) Leave the mixture for at least 10 minutes, but 30 is better.
This is when you can empty the dishwasher for your mom, or make a nice coffee for your dad. Do you see those bubbles forming? This is when it is ready.
Strategies for Cooking Pancakes
We have an iron griddle that is in the middle of the stove. This can be difficult to get to the right temperature and it takes a long time to heat up. So we turn that on about five minutes before cooking.
Next, we use our lovely sill pats to cover the part of the stove so we don’t drip pancake batter everywhere.
You will notice that there isn’t any butter in the pancake batter. So how do we get that buttery taste that we love? Our method is to take a stick of butter and rub it all over the griddle before we pour the batter on. Make sure to do this every time you start a new batch. Your pancakes will not stick to the griddle and you will have a lovely taste of butter that makes a nice little crunch on the outside.
Flipping is not my favorite part and it has taken a lot of practice to not make a complete mess!
Is there anything so lovely than to wake up on Saturday morning to the best buttermilk pancakes? We love adding some of our homemade yogurt, maple syrup, and strawberries. In the fall, adding warm cinnamon apples is perfect! What is your favorite way to eat pancakes?
Again, we want to thank whoever came up with the idea that cakes can be considered an acceptable breakfast. I mean seriously!
The Best Saturday Buttermilk Pancakes for Kids
The perfect weekend morning treat!
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Flour
- 2 Tsp Baking Soda
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 4 Eggs
- 2 Cups Buttermilk
- 2 Cups Milk
- 1 Tsp Vanilla (or flavor of your choice, we love coconut or almond)
- Butter for Griddle
Instructions
Begin by mixing all dry ingredients.
Whisk eggs and add along with other wet ingredients
Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes or more.
Butter griddle directly before pouring batter in small circles.