Sunday Brunch: Great, Great, Pancakes Recipe

Step 1

Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over low heat while preparing ingredients. Mix flour, sugar, salt (if using salted butter, reduce salt to 1/4 tsp.), baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Step 2

Microwave buttermilk and milk in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup to room temperature, 20 to 30 seconds. Whisk in egg, butter and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed.

Step 3

Return batter to measuring cup, stirring in a teaspoon or so of water, if necessary, to make a thick but pourable batter.

Step 4

Increase heat to medium and generously brush skillet or griddle with oil. When oil starts to spider, but before it starts to smoke, pour batter, about 1/4 cup at a time. Work in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding. When pancake bottoms are golden brown and tops start to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes, flip pancakes; cook until golden brown on remaining side. Repeat, brushing skillet or griddle with oil. Serve hot.

Step 5

Variations

Step 6

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes: Follow pancake recipe, whisking 1 tsp. of finely grated lemon zest and 1 tsp. of poppy seeds into the dry ingredients.

Step 7

Orange Cardamom Pancakes: Follow pancake recipe, whisking 1 tsp. of finely grated orange zest and 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom into the dry ingredients.

Step 8

Gingerbread Pancakes: Follow pancake recipe, substituting 4 tsps. of molasses for the sugar and adding it to the wet ingredients, then whisking 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger and 1/8 tsp. ground cloves into the dry ingredients.

Step 9

Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Follow pancake recipe, sprinkling 1 Tb. of miniature chocolate chips over the uncooked side of each pancake as it cooks.

Step 10

Ginger Pancakes: Follow pancake recipe, whisking 1 tsp. ginger into the dry ingredients and sprinkling 1 Tb. of finely chopped crystallized ginger (about 1/2 cup total) over the uncooked side of each pancake as it cooks.

Step 11

Almond Pancakes: Follow pancake recipe, substituting 1 tsp. almond extract for the vanilla extract.

Step 12

Corn Pancakes: Follow pancake recipe, reducing flour to 3/4 cup and whisking 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal into dry ingredients, and sprinkling 2 Tbs. of frozen corn (about 1 cup total) over the uncooked side of each pancake as it cooks.