If I’m going to eat something called blueberry pancakes, I want a sweet indigo marble to burst into a pool of tart flavor with every bite. Sadly, most pancakes I’ve come across that proudly proclaim their contents, are a far cry from the berry spangled pancake of my dreams. Devoid of flavor and with giant hollows carved out by flaccid watery berries that interfere more than enhance. Boxed mixes are in some ways worse, with an over-the-top “blueberry” flavor that reminds me of the Hubba Bubba bubblegum I used to chew as a kid.
My solution is to use wild blueberries. They tend to be much smaller than the commercial variety found in supermarkets and unlike their watery over-sized counterparts, they actually taste like blueberries. Fresh wild blueberries are only available in mid to late summer, in areas where they grow, but thankfully, most upscale grocery stores (like Whole Foods) sell frozen wild blueberries. This means you can always have them on hand for those times when you wake up with a serious craving for blueberry pancakes.
Speaking of sudden cravings, how many of you keep buttermilk in the fridge on a regular basis? Unless I’m making fried chicken or pancakes, I hardly ever keep it on hand, and it seems silly to buy a whole quart of buttermilk only to use a cup of it before it expires. Plain yogurt on the other hand is a regular in my fridge. That’s why I make my pancakes with yogurt combined with a little milk. I love the tangy cheese-like(cream cheese, not cheddar) flavor the yogurt imparts and it keeps the pancakes delightfully moist.
One last trick I want to share with you for making the best pancakes possible is to use butter rather than oil in the batter. It infuses the whole pancake with flavor, and while you can always add another pat on top, it’s really not necessary. Since butter tends to clump when mixed into cold ingredients, I whisk the melted butter and egg yolk together to form an emulsion that distributes more easily into the rest of the batter.
Because it’s difficult to pour a lumpy batter evenly, most recipes will have you add the blueberries after you’ve poured the batter into the pan. The problem is that it’s almost impossible to generously stud the pancakes with berries before they set. That’s why I mix most of the blueberries into the batter and hold some aside to fill in the gaps. Your pancakes might not turn out perfectly round, but you’ll have a less harried pancake making experience and you’re guaranteed to get a blueberry in every bite!
Units
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup fresh blueberries (washed and dried)
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda. and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.
- Put the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave. Let the butter cool slightly so it's no longer hot, but still liquid.
- Measure the milk and yogurt into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, then add just the white from the egg. Whisk this mixture together until smooth.
- Add the yolk to the butter and whisk together until smooth.
- Pour the yolk and butter mixture into the milk mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Add half the blueberries to the flour mixture and toss together. If you're using frozen berries, do not let them defrost first, put them into the flour mixture straight out of the freezer.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients then gently mix together until just combined. It's okay if there are still a few small lumps of flour.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot. Pour a small amount of oil into the pan and use a wadded up paper towel to distribute a thin coating of oil evenly around the pan.
- Pour the batter into small pancakes around the pan. Quickly sprinkle some more blueberries onto each pancake to fill in the gaps and let the pancakes cook until the edges start to dry out, and you see large bubbles show up in the pancake. Flip the pancake over and cook until the other side is golden brown.
- Sprinkle with the remaining blueberries and serve with maple syrup.
Nutrition
Olaf says
Superb! I whipped the egg whites and folded under, as well as added some lemon rind. Despite 50/50 whole wheat and unbleached they were: Moist, light, delicious.
lilkurty says
Hi Marc,
Fabulous recipe! I loved your description and rationale for your ingredients – I too, almost never have buttermilk on hand. Today though, I had fresh wild blueberries as they are now in season where I live. I didn’t have baking soda though so I searched online and it was recommended to increase the baking soda. I used 1 3/4 tsp and that was too much. The pancakes were still super delicious and I’ll make them again but I’ll make sure to use the exact indredients. My batter was denser and more tacky than yours looks. Anyway, thanks again. btw what does the baking soda do anyway?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Lilkurty, the baking soda is a leavening ingredient that reacts with the acid in the yogurt to create air bubbles in your pancake and make it rise. Baking powder also does something similar, but I’ve found that using both is more effective than just using one or the other. Also, baking soda helps the pancakes brown, giving them a nice golden brown color.
Hana K. says
Usually I forgo the blueberries in the batter but had forgotten why & proceeded with the recipe… Then I remembered. Frozen blueberries mixed in will most definitely turn your pancakes into an odd shade of purpley-blue that is not as appetizing. Must use fresh next time!
cat says
Great recipe for beginners my six year mixed the batter. Followed recipe as is and got deliciously tart yet sweet golden brown cakes. Thank you!
Thesingalongsong says
I made it with a bit less milk because I wanted a lot of berries in my pancake. They were super fluffy, tender and chewy at the same time. Awesome recipe! Putting this one in my rotation!
Marc Matsumoto says
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by to let me know how it went. Also great idea on reducing the milk to make the batter a little thicker.
Sufan says
I’ve tried many pancake recipes over the years and this one was truly the best. This produces the most tender fluffy pancakes, even when I sub partially the white flour with whole wheat flour. One thing to note though, regular yogurt works much better than greek yogurt for this recipe.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sufan, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this so much! Thank you for taking the time to let me know😀
Anna says
What is cultured butter? I got the weirdest ideas like … do they make it play piano? But I guess it means not made with pasteurized milk? Or enhanced with kind of yoghurt cultures?
Marc Matsumoto says
😆 Cultured butter is butter is made from cream that has been cultured (fermented) first. It’s also known as “European Butter” in the US. The fermentation increases the amount of diacetyl in the butter which is the compound that’s responsible for the flavor of butter.