Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Butter
A griddle breakfast that rests just long enough for the batter to relax, stacked high under a butter that's already sweetened before it hits the plate.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Written
Method
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Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter until combined.
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Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until no dry flour remains — the batter should stay lumpy.
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Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while the griddle heats over medium heat.
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Beat the softened butter, maple syrup, and a pinch of flaky salt together until light and spreadable, then set aside.
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Butter the griddle and ladle on the batter, cooking until bubbles rise to the surface and hold their shape, about 3 minutes.
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Flip and cook until the second side is deep golden, another 2 minutes, then repeat with the remaining batter.
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Serve stacked, with the maple butter melting on top and more syrup poured over.
Notes
Don’t skip the rest before the batter hits the griddle — ten minutes gives the baking powder time to start working and the flour time to hydrate fully, which is the difference between a pancake that’s merely round and one that’s actually tender. Stir the wet and dry together only until they meet; a smooth batter means you’ve built gluten you didn’t want, and the stack comes out tough instead of soft.
The maple butter is the whole point of making these at home instead of ordering them out — it’s softened enough to spread cold, so it melts into every layer of the stack rather than pooling on top. Leftover batter holds in the fridge overnight if you want to portion the work across two mornings instead of one.