Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Can you believe it’s already August? I feel like I’m still processing July, yet here we are- beginning the second half of summer. To be honest, it hasn’t felt much like summer to me. My time has been so taken up with work, living in Brooklyn and dealing with one thing after another, that there just hasn’t been time for beaching, swimming or trips to the farmer’s market. Such is life. Sometimes it goes according to plan, sometimes it doesn’t.
Last week was going to be my last week of work, since I need to spend this month shopping and preparing for my upcoming year in Israel, where I’m going on Birthright and then to school. But I really enjoyed working so I’m trying to get everything done this week so I can go back for one more week on Monday.
Until then, I’m home, crossing off massive to-do lists. And sleeping in. And waking up to make pancakes!
Just kidding. I wish I had pancakes for breakfast every day. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I usually have something much more boring and much more healthy. But if I did have pancakes every day, I’d have these. They’re perfect!
To begin with, they’re not too sweet, allowing for drizzles of maple syrup and sugary additions. They’re made with buttermilk, as the title suggests, so they’re slightly tangy and which combined with both baking soda and powder, makes these come out seriously fluffy and full of wonderful nooks and crannies. A few extra tricks, such as leaving the batter a little lumpy, and letting it rest for five minutes, complete these pancakes: they’re lofty like you’ve never seen, and take just a few minutes to mix up.
Given that it’s August and blueberries are abundant, I toss a bunch in. I love how the blueberries get jammy and leave little spurts of purple juice in their wake. In the fall, I leave the berries out and make a brown butter apple compote to top the pancakes with. Any way you like it, they’re delicious.
Heat your griddle and get ready to use up those berries you picked- Summer isn’t going to be around forever!

Yields: approx. 12 medium pancakes

Why I love this recipe: baking soda reacts with the acidity in buttermilk and together with baking powder, yields the fluffiest pancakes with little nooks and crannies. These pancakes aren’t too sweet, so they’re the perfect foil to plump, juicy blueberries. Top with Greek yogurt and maple syrup.

Notes: perfect pancakes start when you’re mixing the batter up. You want to leave the batter a little lumpy- too much mixing, and you start developing gluten, which makes the pancakes tough and leathery. If you have time, let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes before cooking. This lets any developed gluten relax, and gives the flour chance to absorb some of the liquid, so the pancakes end up thicker and fluffier.

Variations: add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter right before ladling and while cooking, swirl peanut butter into the top of each pancake for chocolate-peanut butter pancakes. For super, extra fluffy pancakes: separate the eggs and whip the whites into tall, fluffy peaks, adding in the sugar as you whip. Combine with the rest of the batter and proceed as directed.

For the buttermilk pancakes:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
vegetable oil, for frying
plain yogurt or creme fraiche, for serving
maple syrup, for serving

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla in a medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients until just combined, leaving a few lumps in the bowl. Add in the blueberries and stir lightly to combine, so as not to crush them.
Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium; brush with oil. Working in batches, scoop 1/4-cupfuls of batter onto griddle or skillet.
Working in batches, cook pancakes until the edges are set and bubbles form on top, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, browned and puffy. Remove and place on a plate.
Stack 3-4 pancakes on a plate. Top with a big dollop of yogurt or creme fraiche. Drizzle with maple syrup. Dig in!