Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

• 260 g all-purpose flour, about 2 cups, spooned and leveled
• 25 g granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 cups buttermilk, plus a splash more if the batter is stiff
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

The salt amounts here are for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you have Morton kosher salt, use a little over half as much, because its grains are denser and saltier by the spoon.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 200°F and set a wire rack on a sheet pan inside. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a second bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until evenly yellow. Pour in the melted butter while whisking. It may firm up into small flecks in the cold buttermilk; that does no harm.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold with a spatula until you see no dry flour, about 10 strokes. Stop there, lumps and all. Leave the batter for 10 minutes. It will thicken and turn bubbly. If it then sits in a stiff mound instead of slowly spreading, stir in a splash more buttermilk.
4. Set a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Rub a little butter over it with a folded paper towel; you want a sheen, not a pool. Cook one small test pancake first. If it browns in under a minute, turn the heat down.
5. Ladle the batter into 4-inch rounds with a 1/4-cup measure, leaving room between them. Cook until bubbles on top pop and stay open and the edges look dry, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once and cook until the second side is golden and the center springs back when pressed, 1 to 2 minutes more.
6. Move the finished pancakes to the rack in the oven and keep going, wiping the pan with a little more butter between batches. They hold well for 20 minutes or so; much longer and they start to dry.

Notes

The batter keeps in the fridge for a day; it loses some lift, so stir in 1/4 teaspoon baking powder before cooking. Cooked pancakes freeze well between sheets of parchment and reheat in a toaster. If you don't have buttermilk, stir 2 tablespoons lemon juice into 2 cups milk and let it sit 5 minutes.