Breakfast in Bed - Buttermilk Pancakes

Ah... a lazy Sunday morning.... or catch-up-on-the-things-you-didn't-get-to-between-Monday-and-Saturday...morning. Am I right?

Don't you live for long weekends? Its kind of like life gives you a make-up day for all the other lazy Sunday mornings you've missed.  (I say all of this like I'm lazy-day deprived or something. Totally not the case. ;)

Quick: first thing you think of when I say "Lazy Sunday Morning"....

If you didn't say breakfast in bed, try again. If you said pancakes you must be an expert lazy-day-er like me ;)

These were fabulous. Super fluffy just like the recipe promised. Don't be turned off by the sour cream. You won't taste it. (and besides, buttermilk tastes pretty terrible on its own but we don't question that...)

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Recipe courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker adopted from Cook's Illustrated. My comments in italics. Fantastic pancake making tips from CI here.

Serve with real maple syrup and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice:)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup sour cream

2 eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 to 2 teaspoon vegetable oil, for greasing the pan

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, eggs and melted butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; gently stir until just combined (batter should remain lumpy with a few streaks of flour). Do not over mix. Allow the batter to sit for 10 minutes before cooking.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Using a paper towel, carefully wipe out oil, leaving a thin film of oil on the bottom of the pan. Using ¼ cup measure, portion batter into pan in 4 places.  *do not spread the batter or swirl it around to try to make a perfect circle - the batter will spread and do this on its own. If you do, you risk loosing the fluffiness* Cook until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve pancakes immediately. *You can keep pancakes warm in a 200F oven - place ont he rack - do not stack* Repeat with remaining batter, using remaining oil as needed.

*Note 1: This recipe was formulated using lower-protein flour such as Pillsbury and Gold Medal. If you use flour with a little higher protein content like King Arthur, you will need to add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of buttermilk. I forgot about this at first, and when I mixed the batter I saw how thick it was. I added 1½ more tablespoons of buttermilk and the batter was perfect.

*Note 2: If you make these on an electric griddle, preheat it to 350 degrees F.

p.s. I made these for someone who is not a morning person - but they did the trick. ;)

enjoy your lazy day :)