Buttermilk Pancakes

On Saturday it was cold, but bright and sunny when I woke up, so I went down to the beach to practice my running. I'm not very good at it, but I'm definitely improving! My ever-inspiring mother-in-law was out on her brand new stand-up paddle board!

Sunday morning, though, was cold, grey and cloudy. So I made some nice warm pancakes. My favourite type of pancakes are the thick and fluffy - much more like American hotcakes than French crepes.

I learned to make pancakes when I was quite young. I've tried lots of recipes with varying levels of success. Lately I think I've struck a very simple recipe that is very adaptable, is very easy for when you're hungry and half-asleep, and works well if you want to pop some fruit in there too. I added apple rings and frozen blueberries while the pancakes were cooking, and served with a drizzle of maple syrup and plain yoghurt.

The batter had a very gooey texture because of the buckwheat flour I used - regular wheat makes a batter that is much easier to ladle into the frying pan.

Buttermilk Pancakes (serves 4)

1½ cups self-raising flour (or 2 cups plain flour and 4 tsp baking powder)

⅓ cup sugar

2 eggs

approx. 1 cup of buttermilk

Put the flour and sugar into a large bowl and mix well. Add 1 egg into the middle of the flour and mix with a whisk, slowly incorporating some of the flour. Add the second egg and mix a little more. Then add buttermilk gradually, whisking in between, until the batter is smooth and easy to ladle. The amount of buttermilk you add will depend on the sort of flour you are using.

Heat a non-stick frying pan to a medium-high heat. You can add a little butter or oil to give a crisp outside, but it isn't necessary. 

While the pancakes are cooking on one side, you can add some small pieces of soft fresh fruit - they will cook when the pancake gets flipped.


Serve hot with some yoghurt, maple syrup, or honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.