Best buttermilk pancakes recipe: Day 43

Sorry baby brother, but your pancakes are no longer the best pancakes I’ve ever had. I just finished making (and eating) the fluffiest, tastiest pancakes using the Best buttermilk pancakes recipe. Don’t fret, though, I’ll share the recipe with you.   

It was definitely a pancake kind of day. We were up early in the morning (thanks to a personal wake-up call delivered to us via our two-year-old who walked into our room at 6:30 am) and we had a fresh new bottle of maple syrup in the fridge, just waiting to be opened. I put the coffee on and then opened up my Chatelaine cookbook.   

My husband is the breakfast/brunch master in our household, so when I set out to make our family breakfast, I made no promises as to how it would turn out. Worst case scenario: we would settle for the package of bagels we had on hand. I paid close attention to the recipe and stirred the batter with a wooden spoon, just until it was blended and still a little lumpy. To make fluffy pancakes, the recipe advises, you must stir as little as possible. Aha, I think I am learning something about baking! This ‘stir as little as possible’ warning seems to be a recurring theme. I really must attempt the Best-ever brownies recipe again following this mantra.   

The batter poured into the frying pan beautifully. And yes, I had a self-satisfied grin when the perfect little bubbles started forming. I was pleased with how fluffy the pancakes turned out and glad that I added the optional poppy seeds to the batter. My intention was to keep the pancakes warm in the toaster oven as I cooked the remaining pancakes, but the aroma of pancakes wafted through the house and my boys (my husband and my toddler) couldn’t keep themselves away from the table as. I barely had an opportunity to snap a photo of my creation before they dug in and started eating.   

The very first pancake turned out perfectly. My husband agreed that it was the best tasting pancake he had ever had. And we are years beyond the ‘giving a compliment for compliment’s sake’ in our relationship. Case and point: three pancakes later he advised me that his was a little raw in the middle. I was cooking them too fast now so I had to lower the heat. Once I did, I was back on track and making perfect pancakes again. Whew.   

Using only one frying pan meant that I was on duty making the pancakes while the boys got to enjoy eating them. I now see the appeal of a countertop griddle. Doing multiple pancakes at the same time? Genius. I can’t complain though, since my husband is doing the pancake, crepe or waffle-flipping position 99 percent of the time. My father-in-law regularly hosts waffle parties in Manitoba for nearly 100 guests and spends hours, literally, pouring batter and flipping waffles for everyone’s enjoyment. I did manage to eat one pancake while another one was cooking, though. Oh, and I also got to wash the dishes between batches, too. 

This recipe served three adults and a toddler and we still had a few to refrigerate for the next day. I can’t wait to be the first one to eat them tomorrow morning!