Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

You know when you wake up in the morning and you just have to have pancakes for breakfast?  You do, right?!

I get really excited at the mention of fresh blueberries, especially when I’m already all excited over the mention of pancakes.  For those mornings when you have nothing to do but lounge around the house (impossible thought?!), it takes just ten minutes to have these utterly sinful little cakes steaming on a plate in front of you!

Making pancakes really is an art.  You don’t want to over mix the flour, which will result in a tough cake, and if you’re like me, you also want a nice, crisp edge with a soft interior.  The addition of fresh blueberries not only adds a burst of sweetness (and a dose of those helpful antioxidants everyone keeps going on and on about), but also helps to keep the pancakes moist as they’re cooking.

So, let’s begin with helpful details.  Get your griddle hot, but not so much that when you sprinkle it with water the little drops seize up and dissipate right away. You want the water droplets to dance a little before disappearing and when they do,  you’re good to go.  It’s worth stating again that when you are mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients that you want to fold the mixture together with a rubber spatula, and only until it’s just mixed (not until it’s smooth!).

Warm your favorite syrup just before serving, and breath a sigh of heavenly pleasure as you eat.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 teaspoon for the griddle
1/2 fresh blueberries

Heat electric griddle to 375° or a stove-top griddle over medium-high heat.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.  Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine.  Batter should have small to medium lumps.

Heat over to 175°.  Test griddle with a few drops of water, looking for it to bounce (dance!) before it spatters off; turn heat up or down accordingly.  Using a pastry brush, brush 1/2 teaspoon of butter onto griddle.

Using a 4-ounce ladle (and 1/2 cup), pour pancake batter onto griddle, about 2 inches from each other.  Immediately add fresh blueberries to the top of the pancake.

When pancakes have bubbles on top, and are slightly dry around the edges (about 2 1/2 minutes), flip over with a flexible spatula.  Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in the oven.  Serve in earnest with warm syrup.

Tagged as: blueberry, pancakes