Buttermilk Pancakes

Do you ever wake up on a Saturday morning, the sun creeping through the shades, bundled and twisted in your sheets, and ponder, "what will I eat this morning?" I know I do. In fact, Saturday morning breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the week. It's my husband and I's one morning that we allow ourselves to indulge in whatever greatness the kitchen presents to us. Forget the healthy, organic granola! Ditch the piece of whole wheat toast with organic preserves! Saturday morning is a time for carbs, fats, and sugars, my dear readers. Indulge, for this is the one morning a week you can do this guilt-free!

I am a HUGE fan of a food blog called Smitten Kitchen. The recipe for our buttermilk pancakes comes from her--I can take no credit except for that I followed her recipe precisely and grilled these fried cakes to their fluffy perfection. I omitted the blueberries because 'tis no longer their season. Oh, and I smothered them in organic butter (okay, so I can't completely stray from my need for organic...) and doused them in 100% pure maple syrup. Complete this meal with a tall glass of milk and you will be ready for your weekend! (WARNING: after consuming these pancakes, you may collapse from a sugar/carb coma by 12:00 noon, but who cares?! It's Saturday!)

What you need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or slightly less table salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon extra for brushing griddle

What to do:

-Preheat an electric griddle to 375°F, or place a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
-Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.
-Add the eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons melted butter, and whisk to combine.
-Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter onto the griddle
-Using a 1/4 c. measuring cup, pour the batter in pools 2 inches apart.

Note: don't use a scoop the same color as the batter.... you will be digging for a while until you realize it was on top of the batter all along...

-When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

-Repeat with the remaining batter. You can keep the finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven at 200°F. Serve warm.
-THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Get out your butter knife and slather those golden babies with butter, then drizzle maple syrup on top. Oh yeah, and EAT ALL OF THEM (okay, maybe just 3.... or 4.... I'll never tell how many I ate.)

HK