Buttermilk pancakes are lower in fat than pancakes made with
regular whole milk, sometimes referred to as sweet milk. Traditional buttermilk
is the liquid that remains after butter is churned from cream. Its consistency
is thicker than sweet milk, but its taste is sour. This is because it is
fermented to facilitate butter making. Sweet milk cannot be substituted in
recipes calling for buttermilk because these recipes contain baking soda as a
leavening agent. Baking soda works with acid to release carbon dioxide. If
you’ve ever done the baking soda-and-vinegar experiment, you’ve seen this
process. Sweet milk doesn’t contain the acid to facilitate the process. Sweet
milk pancake recipes call for baking powder. Here’s a recipe for fluffy
buttermilk pancakes with wild blueberries. You’ll notice buttermilk batter is
quite lofty:
Blueberry buttermilk pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup cooking oil
½ to ¾ cup of blueberries
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together dry ingredients. In
a separate bowl, beat eggs lightly then add buttermilk and cooking oil. Add the
wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the dry ingredients are completely
moistened. Do not over-mix. Fold in blueberries.
Pour batter by the half-cup measure onto a hot, buttered
griddle to form pancakes. Flip cakes when bubbles appear and edges begin to
firm up. Cook until golden. Serve with maple, or other, syrup, if desired. Makes approximately 16 four-inch pancakes.
