Buttermilk pancakes

After I made Red Velvet Cupcakes for the fourth of July, I had a bunch of leftover buttermilk. I hate letting food go to waste, so I tried to think of a way I could use it up.

Buttermilk, of course, makes me instantly think of pancakes. AND, I have often wanted to try to make my own pancakes, but I never have buttermilk on hand, so I've never gotten around to it.

So I got my hands on a basic buttermilk pancake recipe that sounded like a winner. Mike took one bite and said, "Uh oh! You got yourself in trouble here. You're gonna be making these a lot!"

Below is the original recipe, which would make an enormous amount of pancakes (enough to serve 12). In parentheses, you'll see how much I used. I cut down the ingredient amounts substantially and we still had about 8 to 10 pancakes leftover. (They're stashed in the freezer for another day.) I wasn't very scientific about how I cut it down, but it seemed to work out just fine.

Ingredients

• 5 eggs (I used 2)
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1/2 cup whole milk)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted (I used 2-1/2 tblspns)
• 5 cups buttermilk (I used 2 cups)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups for me)
• 5 teaspoons baking powder (2 again)
• 5 teaspoons baking soda (2)
• 1 pinch salt (optional) (I skipped the salt)
• 5 tablespoons sugar (2 tblspns)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter and buttermilk. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar; stir into the wet ingredients just until blended. Adjust the thickness of the batter to your liking by adding more flour or buttermilk if necessary.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface.


Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side. Continue with remaining batter.


Source: allrecipes.com

My notes:

*I had a small amount of frozen blueberries hanging out in my freezer, so I threw those in the batter. I had maybe a little less than a cup, and it wouldn't hurt to have a little more. Really, any frozen fruit would be great in these.

*I also chopped up 1/2 cup of walnuts and added those. I really liked the walnuts, because it gave the pancakes a little crunch.

*I thought the pancakes were still a tad bland. Next time, I might add in a teaspoon of vanilla. Or, as Mike suggested, I could forgo the walnuts and try almond extract. He also suggested we try them with chocolate chips sometime. I am way on board with that idea.

*I wrapped the leftover pancakes in pairs in plastic wrap and stuck them into freezer bags. Then when we want a quick breakfast, we can just grab two, toast them and go.


I love this recipe because it's so versatile. You can throw in whatever extras you are in the mood for to change up the flavor.