How to Make Pancakes
Two rules separate tall, tender pancakes from flat, chewy ones: leave the batter lumpy, and let it rest before it hits the pan. Both work against the instinct to whisk until smooth. This is the standard buttermilk stack — about twelve pancakes, twenty minutes start to finish, no mix required.
The short answer
Buttermilk pancakes take about 20 minutes and make roughly 12 pancakes, or 4 servings. Whisk 2 cups flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt, then combine with 2 cups buttermilk, 2 eggs and 3 tbsp melted butter using about ten strokes. The batter should stay lumpy — overmixing is the main cause of flat pancakes. Rest it 10 minutes, cook on medium about 2–3 minutes until the bubbles at the edges pop and stay open, then flip once and give it 1–2 minutes more.
How to Make Pancakes, step by step
- Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in another.
- Combine them with about ten strokes. Lumps are correct — a smooth batter means tough pancakes.
- Let the batter sit 10 minutes while the pan heats.
- Cook on medium until the bubbles at the edges pop and stay open, about 2–3 minutes.
- Flip once and give it 1–2 minutes more. Only ever flip once.
Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
Serves 4 · 20 min total · ≈430 cal for a stack of three
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp butter, melted, plus more for the pan
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- In a second bowl whisk the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter until combined.
- Pour the wet into the dry and stir about ten strokes — just until no dry flour is visible. The batter should be lumpy. Every extra stir builds gluten and costs you height.
- Rest the batter 10 minutes. It will thicken and start to bubble as the leavening wakes up.
- Heat a griddle or heavy pan over medium and butter it lightly. Too hot and the outside burns before the middle sets.
- Pour 1/4 cup per pancake. Cook 2–3 minutes, until the bubbles at the edge pop and leave open holes and the underside is golden.
- Flip once and cook 1–2 minutes more. Do not press them down.
Macro note: No buttermilk? Stir 2 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar into 2 cups of regular milk and leave it 5 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my pancakes flat?
Usually overmixing, occasionally dead baking powder. Stir only until the flour disappears and accept the lumps. If the batter did not bubble at all during its 10-minute rest, your leavening has expired.
When exactly do I flip?
When bubbles reach the edges and the ones in the middle pop and stay open rather than closing back over. That is usually 2–3 minutes on medium. The first pancake is always a throwaway that tells you if the heat is right.
Can I make the batter the night before?
Not for this one — the baking soda starts reacting immediately and will be spent by morning. Mix the dry ingredients the night before instead and combine in the morning. The yeasted overnight version in the variations is built for it.