The Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 2  cups buttermilk
• 1/3  cup milk
• 2  large eggs
• 1/4  cup butter or margarine, melted
•   Butter, vegetable oil or shortening, for frying
•   Pure maple syrup and additional butter (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until blended. Combine buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter in a medium bowl. Whisk until blended.

2. Heat a large nonstick griddle according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Or heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.) When griddle is hot, add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; vigorously mix batter with a wooden spoon just until blended. If lumps of flour are visible, that's okay.

3. Reduce heat to medium and grease griddle with butter, oil or shortening. Using a ladle or a 1/3-cup dry measure, pour spoonfuls of batter a few inches apart onto the hot greased griddle. Cook until small bubbles begin to form on the top and some pop, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn pancakes with a flexible spatula, then cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup and additional butter, if desired (or keep pancakes warm in oven). Repeat process with remaining batter. Makes about 14 pancakes.

(Nutrition facts are based on 1 pancake per serving without maple syrup or additional butter.)

Tip: The secret to light and tender pancakes begins with one simple ingredient: buttermilk. Instead of folding beaten egg whites into the batter (a common method for fluffing up pancakes), we used buttermilk for a melt-in-your mouth stack. And our techniques? 1. Don't over mix the batter or the cakes will toughen. 2. Though pancakes are terrific right off the griddle, you can cook all the batter at once. Keep cakes warm in the oven and serve when you're ready to sit down.