Cook's Illustrated Buttermilk Pancakes

I haven’t posted a pancake recipe in ages - but the other night I had a craving and made Cook’s Illustrated Buttermilk Pancakes for dinner. Why does that freak some people out, I say we need it more often! There should be a movement! I was inspired to make pancakes, too, by the lovely strawberries we’ve had this spring, and made a Fresh Strawberry Compote to go with them.

For a few short minutes, I was in heaven! Cook’s Illustrated Buttermilk Pancakes with that Strawberry Compote was like breakfast, dinner, and dessert all on one plate! I probably should have gone whole hog and made whipped cream, too, but that was a little too over the top for me. I’m sure that over the years Cook’s has probably put out many pancake recipes and I have no idea what issue/’book this recipe came from.

I know it was good enough for me to copy onto a recipe card and file it away. And I know it’s a fast and easy pancake, almost a too good to be true recipe. Cook’s Illustrated Pancakes are light and fluffy and have a fantastic flavor. I love them just with a little bit of real butter. What more can you want, Well, besides that Fresh Strawberry Compote, that is,

I’ve always thought these Cook’s Illustrated Buttermilk Pancakes are a good, solid pancake with very little effort. I don’t know if there ever was a Cook’s Illustrated recipe that didn’t have a few extra twists and turns in the making due to their quest for absolute excellence, but this recipe isn’t too bad.

What really seems to pay off is melting the small bit of butter, separating the egg and adding the white to the buttermilk and the yolk to the butter. The white isn’t beaten to peaks like most recipes that ask you to separate the egg, just whisked right into the buttermilk.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but it is a curious bit of kitchen alchemy that really seems to work. Do watch the size of the pancakes! When you make them, use 1/3 cup measuring cup because you’ll want 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. That means you won’t have to try to scrape the batter out of the measuring cup until the very last pancake.

What remains behind in the cup after each pancake is poured seems to be just about exactly the difference between the 1/4 cup of batter that lands on the griddle and the 1/3rd cup measuring cup full of batter. Hope that made sense! If it didn’t, just trust me, lol! This recipe for Cook’s Illustrated Buttermilk Pancakes make 8 small pancakes, about 4 inches across, and if you make them larger, they don’t rise as quite as well.

The recipe makes exactly 8 (seriously, like exactly 8 with no smidge of batter leftover) so you might want to double or triple if you have bigger eaters. I don’t know anyone who will only want two of these pancakes! I already mentioned one way to save a little on the pancakes: Use the vinegar/milk combo instead of buying buttermilk. Any standard baking items are going to be on sale, particularly during the winter holidays and Easter, so stock up then.

I freeze any products containing flour for three days when they first come into the house. If you have an Aldi, their prices on baking goods are excellent. Butter and eggs are usually on sale during just about any holiday. I try to stock up on both (if I have room!) especially the butter. Freeze it and it keeps for months. If you have an idea about how much butter you go through, buy enough to last for the next holiday and you’ll always be using sales priced butter.

Aldi has decent prices on butter and sometimes puts it on special around holidays. If you don’t have any buttermilk, mix room temperature milk with two teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice and let it stand for five minutes. Substitute this “clabbered milk” for the buttermilk and milk in this recipe.

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