So when I found Saco’s powdered buttermilk, (which can keep for months in the fridge) and then a recipe for buttermilk pancakes on the back of the container, I knew I had to give it a shot.
The recipe is straightforward, with easy-to-find ingredients. All you need is flour, sugar, both baking powder and baking soda, a pinch of salt, an egg, water, vegetable oil, and the powdered buttermilk. You sift together the dry ingredients before adding the water, oil, and a beaten egg and whisk until everything is just combined. Sifting is important here, as the powdered buttermilk can be clumpy, so although it is an extra step it’s a worthwhile one. The recipe also contains a stern, bolded warning to not overmix the batter — doing so works the gluten and makes for tough pancakes — so I tried to gently fold everything together.
The batter was a lot runnier than I expected; on the spectrum between thick cake batter and liquid crepe batter, it sat firmly in the middle. The recipe says it makes 10 four-inch wide pancakes, so for symmetry’s sake I used one full cookie scoop’s worth of batter for each pancake. The recipe also calls for greasing the griddle before cooking. I did this, but if you’re using a non-stick pan I think it’s unnecessary.
The first pancake came out a bit unevenly browned, as all first pancakes do, but from there it was smooth sailing. Although the batter was watery and spread, thus making thinner and less substantial pancakes than what you’d find at a diner, I was still impressed by how easy it was to cook, and the resulting flavor. I mean this in the least derogatory way: the pancakes tasted like something you’d get at a fast food chain during breakfast hour. They were nostalgic to me — thin, yes, but moist and spongy and subtly sweet. A smear of butter and drizzle of maple syrup amplified the nostalgia.
The recipe, with my single cookie scoop method, ended up making 12 pancakes. I can’t eat 12 pancakes in a single sitting so I decided to freeze 10 of them. I’m happy to report that the pancakes froze and reheated well in my toaster, maintaining their spongy texture and mildly sweet flavor.
I would make this recipe again, both as is and with modifications to make the pancakes feel slightly fancier. I think this batter is a good jumping off point but could be improved with the addition of vanilla bean paste, frozen blueberries, or sliced bananas.
Although I don’t think it’s necessary to have buttermilk on hand for good pancakes, I do appreciate the je ne sais quoi that it adds. And now, with this recipe, I can have buttermilk pancakes without having to buy fresh buttermilk.
