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Alton Brown's Pancakes | Dave Tavres

Alton Brown's Pancake Recipe

Alton Brown
After watching and reading many recipes for ‘crockpot chicken pot pie’, I came up with my own… it’s cooking now. Here’s what I did...
Course Breakfast, Dinner
Servings 12 pancakes

Ingredients
  

Pancake Pre-Mix

  • 3.5 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1.5 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tbsp Salt Can use Kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp Sugar

Pancakes

  • 1.25 cups Pancake Pre-Mix (above)
  • 2 Large Eggs, separated and at room temperature
  • 2 cups Low-Fat Buttermilk, at room temperature Plus another ounce, if you need to adjust the consistency of final batter.
  • 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted in a small saucepan and cooled
  • Non-stick spray for the pan

Directions
 

Pancake Pre-Mix

  • Sift all ingredients together and store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 3 months. Shake vigorously before each use.

Cooking the Pancakes

  • Heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees F or set a heavy skillet or griddle over medium heat.
  • Heat the oven to the lowest possible temperate (not more than 200 degrees).
  • Place the pancake mix in a large mixing bowl.
  • Whisk the egg whites and the buttermilk in a second bowl.
  • Whisk the egg yolks into the cooled melted butter (right in the pan in fine).
  • Whisk the butter mixture completely into the buttermilk mixture.
  • Dump the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and quickly bring together with a large whisk. (12 stirs ONLY, then just walk away! Yes, there will be some lumps in the batter and that's fine.)
  • Check on the griddle. When a drop of water skittles across the surface like a little hovercraft, it’s ready. If you’re surface is truly non-stick, no butter or non-stick spray will be needed.
  • Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. (Or, use a #20 disher, or a 1-ounce ladle.)
    As soon as the batter hits the pan, gently coax the batter out to a disk about 4 inches in diameter.
  • Cook for 3 minutes, or until bubbles around the upside edge set. (If you're adding fruit into the pancake itself, add it after the batter has been on the griddle for about 30 seconds.)
  • Carefully flip with a wide spatula, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom.

Notes

  • Serve cooked pancakes immediately, or keep them warm in the oven by placing cakes on a half sheet pan and covering them with a tea towel for up to 20 minutes.
  • To freeze cooked pancakes, cool completely, then place them in zip-top freezer bags. Seal the bags, removing as much air as possible. The frozen pancakes can easily be heated up in a toaster or toaster oven.
by Good Eats: The Early Years, © Alton Brown, 2015
Keyword syrup