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Deluxe Blueberry Pancakes

By Andrea Geary

Published on May 18, 2022

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes 12 pancakes)

Deluxe Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted and cooled slightly2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons malted milk powder 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon table salt 2 cups buttermilk 1 large egg 7½ ounces (213 grams/1½ cups) blueberries ½ teaspoon vegetable oil

Before You Begin

This recipe requires the viscosity of buttermilk. You can substitute ⅔ cup of plain Greek yogurt (any fat level) and 1⅓ cups of water for the buttermilk; do not use buttermilk powder or a mixture of milk and lemon juice. For the best results, weigh the flour. An electric griddle set at 325 degrees can be used in place of a skillet; if using a large griddle, cook six pancakes at a time in 1 tablespoon of butter. We like serving these pancakes with salted butter and maple syrup.

Instructions

  1.  If planning on serving all pancakes at once, set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and heat oven to 200 degrees. Cut 2 tablespoons butter into ½-tablespoon pieces and set aside. Whisk flour, milk powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and melted butter together in second medium bowl (it's OK if butter forms clumps). Make well in center of flour mixture and add buttermilk mixture; whisk until just combined (a few lumps should remain). Fold in blueberries.
  2.  Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil, leaving thin film on bottom and sides of skillet. Drop 1 tablespoon batter in center of skillet. If pancake is pale golden brown after 1 minute, skillet is ready. If it is too light or too dark, adjust heat accordingly. Discard pancake.
  3.  Melt ½ tablespoon butter in now-empty skillet and use spatula to spread over surface. When butter is sizzling, use ⅓-cup dry measuring cup or slightly mounded 2-ounce (#16) portion scoop to portion batter into skillet in 3 places. Using back of cup or scoop, gently spread each portion into 4½-inch round. Cook until edges are set and first side is deep golden brown (coloring will not be even), 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until bottoms are just set, about 1 minute longer. Gently slide pancakes around skillet to collect butter. Cook until second sides are deep golden brown, 1 to 1½ minutes. Serve pancakes immediately, or transfer to prepared wire rack and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter and batter in 3 batches.

Deluxe Blueberry Pancakes

Save

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes 12 pancakes)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted and cooled slightly
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons malted milk powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
7½ ounces (213 grams/1½ cups) blueberries
½ teaspoon vegetable oil

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted and cooled slightly
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons malted milk powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
7½ ounces (213 grams/1½ cups) blueberries
½ teaspoon vegetable oil

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons melted and cooled slightly
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons malted milk powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
7½ ounces (213 grams/1½ cups) blueberries
½ teaspoon vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

To take lazy summer breakfasts to a whole new level of luxury, we paired sweet-tart, high-season berries with a complexly flavored crumb that had plenty of cushiony fluff and lightly crisp edges. A combination of buttermilk and malted milk powder upgraded the batter's flavor and complexity. The former added tang and interacted with the baking soda to provide better lift; the latter boosted the lactic sweetness and contributed a faint roasty note that complemented the bursts of punchy, tart berries. Stirring melted butter (rather than vegetable oil) into the batter and frying the pancakes in more butter made for particularly rich-tasting pancakes with lightly crisp edges. Folding the berries into the batter rather than dropping them onto the top of the portioned pancakes ensured that they were encased in the crumb instead of sitting on the surface, where they were vulnerable to burning when the pancakes were flipped.

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Before You Begin

This recipe requires the viscosity of buttermilk. You can substitute ⅔ cup of plain Greek yogurt (any fat level) and 1⅓ cups of water for the buttermilk; do not use buttermilk powder or a mixture of milk and lemon juice. For the best results, weigh the flour. An electric griddle set at 325 degrees can be used in place of a skillet; if using a large griddle, cook six pancakes at a time in 1 tablespoon of butter. We like serving these pancakes with salted butter and maple syrup.

Instructions

  1.  If planning on serving all pancakes at once, set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and heat oven to 200 degrees. Cut 2 tablespoons butter into ½-tablespoon pieces and set aside. Whisk flour, milk powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and melted butter together in second medium bowl (it's OK if butter forms clumps). Make well in center of flour mixture and add buttermilk mixture; whisk until just combined (a few lumps should remain). Fold in blueberries.
  2.  Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil, leaving thin film on bottom and sides of skillet. Drop 1 tablespoon batter in center of skillet. If pancake is pale golden brown after 1 minute, skillet is ready. If it is too light or too dark, adjust heat accordingly. Discard pancake.
  3.  Melt ½ tablespoon butter in now-empty skillet and use spatula to spread over surface. When butter is sizzling, use ⅓-cup dry measuring cup or slightly mounded 2-ounce (#16) portion scoop to portion batter into skillet in 3 places. Using back of cup or scoop, gently spread each portion into 4½-inch round. Cook until edges are set and first side is deep golden brown (coloring will not be even), 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until bottoms are just set, about 1 minute longer. Gently slide pancakes around skillet to collect butter. Cook until second sides are deep golden brown, 1 to 1½ minutes. Serve pancakes immediately, or transfer to prepared wire rack and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter and batter in 3 batches.

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