Matthew Woolen is a master pastry chef and has worked in a variety of Seattle restaurants, including gastropub Old Sage, Zhu Dang, and a gluten-free restaurant called Capitol Cider.

Matthew Woolen

Digital scale

3-quart Saucepan

Metal bowl

Whisk

The Control Freak™ Home

Fine-mesh strainer

10-inch Cast iron griddle

2-ounce Ladle

#30 Portion scoop

Silicone spatula

The Control °Freak® induction cooking system

Egg(s)

Buttermilk

All-purpose flour

Sugar

Buttermilk powder

Baking powder

Kosher salt

Unsalted butter

Maple syrup

4 servings; 4 large, 8 medium, or 16 small pancakes

Fat and browning: We use only the barest amount of butter to grease the pan, just so the pancakes won’t stick. This ensures the most even browning, as the batter is in direct contact with the surface of the pan. If you like pancakes with crispy edges, you can add more butter to the pan, but you will need to monitor the cooking temperature to ensure the butter (and the edges) won’t burn. Using <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/clarified-butter-ghee">clarified butter</a> helps, as it does not contain milk solids and you can focus solely on the doneness of the crispy edges.

Pan material: We recommend using a cast iron or nonstick pan for these pancakes, but most any pan will work. Well-seasoned cast iron pans are functionally nonstick, especially with the help of a thin layer of fat in the pan. They take longer to heat up than nonstick pans, but they retain heat well, so once they’re hot, they stay that way, requiring little to no recovery time between rounds. On a regular stovetop, this heat retention can work against you; the first couple rounds of pancakes turn out just right, but later rounds can easily get too dark unless you adjust the heat. This isn’t an issue when you’re able to dial in the temperature of your pan exactly: Set the pan temperature to [f 320] and it stays there the entire time.

Nonstick pans are typically made of lighter materials, so the pan will drop in temperature as soon as batter is added, but it will recover temperature quickly. Nonstick pans produce pancakes with smooth, blemish-free surface browning. When using nonstick, it’s best to use silicone or plastic spatulas for flipping to avoid scratching or damaging the nonstick coating.

Buttermilk: This recipe calls for full-fat buttermilk. If you use low-fat buttermilk, the batter will be slightly thinner. The thinner batter will make thinner pancakes, but they’ll still taste great. To thicken batter made with low-fat buttermilk, add an extra 20 g all-purpose flour to the dry mix in Step 2.

Buttermilk powder: Buttermilk powder adds extra tangy flavor to the pancakes. It can be omitted entirely, or you can substitute it with an equal amount of malted milk powder or dry milk powder.

More pancakes, please: Want to level up your buttermilk pancake game? Check out our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/buttermilk-crepes">Buttermilk Crêpes</a>, <a href="fluffy-japanese-pancakes">Ultra-Fluffy Japanese Pancakes</a>, and <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/buttermilk-pancake-parametric">pancake parametric</a>!

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Fluffy Japanese pancakes recipe made with a Control Freak Home induction cooker.

Ultra-Fluffy Japanese Pancakes

Buttermilk crêpes recipe made with Control Freak Home induction cooker.

Buttermilk Crêpes

Buttermilk Pancakes: A Parametric Analysis

Before we begin

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat 1 to 2 inches of water over low heat to [f 150]. In a medium metal bowl that can comfortably fit in the saucepan, whisk eggs until homogenous. Add buttermilk and whisk until well combined. Set bowl in water bath and warm buttermilk mixture, whisking constantly, until it reaches body temperature, 20 to 40 seconds. Set bowl aside, and discard water bath.

Temper eggs and buttermilk

A more emulsified batter will cook more consistently and evenly. The quality of cakes (and pancakes) is in large part dependent on how well emulsified the batter is. A “broken” batter will produce greasy and deflated pancakes, whereas a properly emulsified batter will cook up airy and light.

Taking the chill off refrigerated ingredients, like eggs and buttermilk, helps produce a stronger emulsion. We’ve found that a [f 150] water bath is ideal for tempering wet ingredients for the batter.

Tempering wet ingredients for a better batter.

Sift flour, sugar, buttermilk powder (if using), baking powder, and salt through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture.​

Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and whisk until well combined with some lumps remaining, about 20 seconds. Do not overmix.

Whisk in melted butter until fully incorporated; batter should still have some small lumps. Set aside.

Make batter

During development, we found [f 320] to be the perfect pan surface temperature for cooking golden-brown pancakes of all kinds. For this recipe, the cook time for the pancakes remains consistent regardless of their size, seeing as the thickness doesn’t change, just the diameter; 3-inch and 7-inch pancakes will both take about 3 minutes total to cook.

Dialing in pan temperature for pancakes.

If you want to cook all the pancakes before serving and need to keep pancakes warm between rounds, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to [f 150]. (If your oven doesn’t go that low, preheat to lowest possible setting.) If you prefer to serve pancakes as they’re ready, there’s no need to heat oven.

Heat a dry 10-inch cast iron skillet or griddle or nonstick skillet, over medium heat for ​​2 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon butter (1.5 g) to pan and swirl until butter is fully melted and foaming. Using a paper towel, wipe out pan, leaving thin film of butter over entire surface of pan.

Ladle batter into pan according to your pancake size preference: two 2-ounce ladles for a 7-inch pancake; one 2-ounce ladle for a 5-inch pancake; and 2 tablespoons or a #30 scoop for 3-inch pancakes. (If cooking small pancakes, you can fit 3 to 4 pancakes in the pan per batch.)

Cook, undisturbed, until bubbles that appear on top of pancake(s) begin to pop and bottom side is evenly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancake(s) and continue to cook until second side is evenly browned and pancake(s) spring back when gently pressed with your finger, 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer pancake(s) to plate, if serving immediately, or to a wire rack set inside a 1/2 sheet pan if you want to cook all the pancakes before serving. If holding pancakes, transfer sheet pan to oven to keep warm.

Repeat with remaining batter. You shouldn’t need to grease pan with more butter for subsequent rounds of pancakes.

Cook pancakes

If you want to add mix-ins like blueberries or chocolate chips to your pancakes, we prefer to add them to individual pancakes as they cook, rather than stirring them into the batter all at once.

To get even browning on the presentation side, prevent burning, and ensure an even distribution of mix-ins, add the mix-ins after you’ve portioned the batter in the hot pan.

To do so, add the pancake batter to the pan, then gently press the mix-ins into the top of the pancake, then cook just as you would a plain pancake. The batter will fill in the spaces between the mix-ins, and you’ll have an evenly browned surface on the presentation side.

Adding mix-ins? Do it while the pancakes cook.

Divide pancakes between plates, top with butter and warm syrup (if using), and serve.

Top and serve

Pancake batter can be made up to 1 hour in advance. Cover and hold at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to use.

Cooked pancakes can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Reheat cooked pancakes in a toaster or in a [f 350] oven until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Make-ahead and storage

A stack of beautifully browned, fluffy, and fat flapjacks is iconic. A mound of pale, dense pancakes ... not so much.The key to good pancakes isn’t just the right formula or the right technique, it’s both. This is why there’s that old adage about the first pancake never turning out right—typically, you need a tester or two to dial in the pan temperature just right. But with precise temperature control, every pancake is a winner.The temperature of the pan has to be calibrated to the way the batter puddles or spreads, providing enough heat for the baking powder to kick in, giving the pancakes the appropriate loft, and to brown the cooked sides evenly. Too hot a pan, and your tender pancakes will not only be overbrowned, they’ll also end up dry and chalky. Too cold a pan, and you’ll dry out the pancakes before they take on sufficient browning.We found a precise pan temperature of [f 320] to be ideal for cooking pancakes of all kinds. Using that temp as a starting point, we dialed in the formula for these buttermilk pancakes so they’re plenty lofty, beautifully browned, and oh-so-delicious, thanks to that tangy buttermilk, which we double down on with the inclusion of buttermilk powder.

Precision Buttermilk Pancakes