I’ve always loved breakfast. Hands down it’s my favorite meal of the day, and I am fairly certain I could eat breakfast foods for every meal and never get sick of it.
When Steve and I first started dating, a pancake breakfast was the first thing I ever made for him. And let’s be honest, breakfast is one of the only meals I (know how to) cook. Over a stack of homemade banana walnut pancakes in New York City, we got to know each other better and began navigating our long distance relationship. On a second trip when he came out to visit, I just had to show him the best pancakes in the city, even if it was a two-hour wait. The wait was absolutely worth it, and pancakes have become a staple for us. While we don’t do very much cooking in our kitchen, we do know how to make delicious breakfasts and a mean stack of pancakes.
The pancakes that I made for Steve were just from a box, but the ones from the restaurant were the real deal made from meticulously sifted flour and whipped egg whites. There’s nothing wrong with making pancakes from a box, but if you want to experience a taste of fluffy homemade goodness that you’re surely going to be proud of, you must try this recipe. I’ve included a few tips to help make this a successful recipe for you.
Sifting may not be fun, but it makes a world of a difference. Don’t be tempted to skip this step. It’ll help make your pancakes light and fluffy.
When separating egg whites from the yolks, it’s really important to make sure that no yolk gets into the bowl of egg whites. Make sure to only separate one egg at a time in an isolated bowl (we like to use a cup), so that if your yolk breaks into the white you have not destroyed the entire batch.
When you whisk the egg yolks and the butter and milk together, it will be a bit lumpy and you may think something went wrong. Just keep moving forward. It will all combine together in the end.
When you pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk together, make sure not to over-mix the batter. You want the batter to be lumpy. Over-mixing will create dry and flat pancakes.
Whip your egg whites with an electric mixer so they form medium peaks. This means that that when you whip the egg whites, the mixture should be able to hold its shape and stand up, but the tip of the peak will fall back on itself and curl over. When you combine the egg whites with the batter in two stages, be gentle as you fold the batter together with your spatula. You will not want to completely mix in the egg whites, so make sure to leave large bits still floating in the batter. This will also add to the fluffiness of your pancakes.
We like to use an ice cream scoop to put the batter onto the hot griddle. It forms the perfect sized pancake.
Fresh blueberries work better than frozen, as frozen fruit releases more liquid as they thaw out, which can make your pancakes soggy. Dropping the fruit into the batter after the pancake has started to cook is a more successful technique than mixing all of the blueberries into the batter before cooking. This technique allows your pancake to cook thoroughly through the middle, instead of being undercooked around the fruit.
While your pancake is cooking, you can start heating your maple syrup. We like to create maple butter syrup by heating up 2 cups of real maple syrup and adding 1 cup of cold butter cut into small squares, and whisking it together over medium heat. This isn’t healthy (at all!), but it does create a thick and rich syrup that tastes amazing and complements these pancakes perfectly. You can hit the gym another day.
Presentation can make the most simple food look artistic. Who doesn’t love a tall stack of pancakes garnished with even more fruit? This recipe makes quite a large breakfast- about 12-14 medium sized pancakes. So if you are making breakfast for two, you should cut the recipe in half- you will still have plenty of batter!
Now pour on the syrup and dig in!
download our recipe for buttermilk blueberry pancakes
recipe design and calligraphy: la Happy
photographer (and happy pancake eater) Matthew Land Studios
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