Best Pancake Recipe
Perfect pancakes: this year, I made it my mission to create them. After a few tries, I believe I’ve arrived at the best, most delicious pancake recipe. I had a particular inspiration for these.
I love Cracker Barrel pancakes –- when they are piping hot and crispy around the edges, that is. They don’t always come to the table like this, but when they do….every bite is heavenly. So when fine-tuning my recipe, a perfect Cracker Barrel stack of pancakes was my goal.
Homemade pancakes on Christmas morning and all during the holidays is going to become our new tradition. The kids love them. There are foods that create memories, and this recipe is going down in the books!
Pancake Substitutions, Additions, and Toppings
The beauty of making anything from scratch is that you get to adjust or swap ingredients to suite your tastes or use what you have.
I love buttermilk, but I don’t always have it on hand. This homemade pancake recipe gives you a buttermilk-like tangy flavor by adding apple cider vinegar.
If you prefer to swap buttermilk for the milk, you can do a straight swap. However, you’ll need to make a few adjustments to account for the extra thickness and acidity of the buttermilk:
- Increase the baking soda slightly, by ⅛–¼ tsp.
- Omit or reduce the apple cider vinegar.
- Add 1–3 Tbsp extra liquid if the batter seems too thick.
Pecans and fresh fruit, such as bananas or blueberries, make great toppings along with pure maple syrup or hickory or pecan syrup. See my bonus homemade syrup recipe below. You can add fruit directly into the pancake batter, but be mindful of the extra moisture content.
Homemade jams, jellies, and preserves are also wonderful on pancakes! Click for recipes.
Can pancake batter be refrigerated? How about cooked pancakes?
You can refrigerate this pancake batter in an airtight container for a few hours without a huge difference in the end result. To maintain fluffiness, if you’re refrigerating the batter for longer, you can leave out the baking soda and then add it in just before cooking.
Leftover pancakes actually do better in the fridge than raw batter. You can toast them in the toaster or put them on a foil lined baking sheet and warm them in the oven.
Can this pancake recipe be used for waffles?
Yes, you can adapt this recipe to make crispy, cake-like waffles in a waffle pan. Here are a few tips to get the best results:
- Waffles need a thick batter, so you’ll want to reduce the liquid by 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
- Add a few more tablespoons of melted butter to the batter for a crunchy outside.
- Optionally, add 1/4 cup more sugar. Sugar caramelizes to brown the batter beautifully.
Best Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 eggs
- 2¼ cups milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons plus more unsalted butter
Instructions
- In a medium or large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy. Add the milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar together.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry and fold until most of the flour is covered with the liquid. Do not overmix the batter.
- In a skillet over low-medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour melted butter into the batter and gently mix.
- Add more butter to the skillet or griddle. Pour or spoon about ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the skillet and then gently spread into a round shape with the back of your ladle.
- Continue cooking over low-medium heat until bubbles appear on the top of the surface and the sides of the pancake begin to crisp and are golden. Flip the pancake with a spatula and continue cooking for another 2 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove batches to plates and serve with pecans and hickory or maple syrup and whipped butter.
Homemade Hickory Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. hickory bark shagbark or pecan bark
- Sugar in equal weight to water from boiling bark
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Gather hickory bark from hickory trees. In a large sink, rinse and clean the bark.
- On a sheet pan, spread out the hickory bark and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the bark to a large stockpot and cover with water. Boil the bark for 30 minutes. Drain the bark in a colander over a large bowl to capture the liquir. Weigh the remaining liquid from the bark mixture and return it to the stock pot. On a scale, weigh out the same amount of sugar as liquid and add to the stockpot. Add the honey and bring the mixture to boil. Lower the temperature and simmer until desired thickness (about 2 hours) or until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Ladle the syrup into mason jars or the container of your choice and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
As you know I’ve been making Christmas breakfast for my family (my mom, brothers, sister & my kids) for many years & you’ve been helping me with your tips, recipes & cookbooks! I been making boxed pancakes, but now I found your pancake recipe (buttermilk), which I’m going to use for this Christmas morning breakfast (along with your recipes for: scrambled eggs, cinnamon rolls, bacon (best way to cook) & hash browns). Looking forward to homemade pancakes this Christmas!! Thanks again!
I sure hope you loved the pancakes!