The BEST One-Bowl Buttermilk Pancakes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These one-bowl buttermilk pancakes are a weekend staple. The recipe yields a ton, and the end result is fluffy pancake heaven! 🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞
Over the weekend, I said goodbye to my electric griddle, a gadget I’ve had for over a decade, one I’ve loved and hated over the years for various reasons: loved for its large, flat surface and, um, well, that’s really it.
My electric griddle is big and cumbersome, awkward to find space to both use and stow. For 10 years I’ve used it solely for pancakes, which has been reason enough to hang on to it because I find cooking pancakes in skillets tricky — even in my largest skillet there isn’t enough space to maneuver a spatula around more than three pancakes.
But over the weekend, I finally thanked my griddle for its service then said sayonara. What sparked this civilized departure? It was the Baking Steel griddle, a slab of thick-gauge steel designed for both stovetop and in-oven use. Yes, this griddle doubles as a pizza Steel — it’s 10 lbs. heavier than the original Baking Steel, which means it will make your oven behave even more like a wood-fired hearth.
I have been experimenting with this gadget for several weeks now, making pancakes for the kiddos, breakfast tacos for Ben and me, and English muffins for us all. What I love is not only its versatility but its shape and design — it takes up no extra space to use because it sits on the stove top; it takes up little space when it’s stowed because it measures about 1/2-inch in thickness even when it’s tucked into its awesome storage sleeve.
The Baking Steel griddle’s uses extend far beyond the dishes I am showing here, however: check out Serious Eats’ Kenji Lopez-Alt’s exhaustive research in this post. Food and Wine was equally impressed.
The Baking Steel griddle is available for order now.
Before we get to the giveaway, let’s discuss these pancakes. Pancakes have never been my forte, but for about a year now, I’ve had success with the kitchn’s lofty buttermilk pancakes, which are delicious and relatively simple to make. The peculiar trick to making these pancakes is that you separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, then incorporate the yolks into the batter before the whites. The whites are never beaten. It’s odd but oddly it works — the pancakes never taste so good as when I follow the kitchn’s method.
That said, this method requires three bowls: one for the dry ingredients, one for the yolks, buttermilk, milk and butter, and one for the whites. This, for me, first thing in the morning is too many, and because I’ve found that when I use one bowl or three my children are none the wiser, I stick to one: I whisk the eggs directly into the dry ingredients as though I am making pasta, then add the milk and buttermilk, and finally the butter. Because I melt the butter in a liquid measuring cup in the microwave then transfer it directly to the dishwasher, I don’t consider it a dish — that’s fair, right?
These pancakes have become a family fave and, with the griddle on hand, a weekly staple. The batter makes enough for a ton of pancakes and stores just fine in the fridge…sure, it turns a little grey overnight, but again, the little ones don’t mind.
For this pancake batter, incorporate the eggs into the dry ingredients as though you are making pasta dough:
Then add the milk and buttermilk and finally the melted butter:
A pancake breakfast is a happy breakfast…
The BEST One-Bowl Buttermilk Pancakes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 18-20 three-inch pancakes
Description
Adapted from the kitchn’s recipe for lofty buttermilk pancakes. The recipe below differs only by method not by ingredients. Check out the kitchn’s post if you want to try their egg-separating method — don’t worry, you don’t have to beat any whites!
When cooking these pancakes on the Baking Steel griddle, I suggest heating your griddle before you begin making your batter. I have a flat-top cooking surface, and I have the best results warming the griddle up slowly over low to medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. If you have a gas range, you will be able to control the temperature better.
Finally, the best trick I’ve learned for cooking pancakes is to go small — I use my 2-tablespoon measuring cup to portion out batter. The pancakes cook quickly and evenly when I use this small scoop.
If you want to use sourdough discard in this recipe, simply cut back some of the flour and water, preferably by weight. So, for example, if you want to use 100 grams of sourdough discard (at 100% hydration) in this recipe, cut back 50 grams of the flour and 50 grams of the buttermilk. That would call for using 270 grams of flour and 418 grams of buttermilk.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (320 g) flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8 g) salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (468 grams) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup milk
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- Canola or peanut oil for frying
Instructions
- If using a Baking Steel griddle, begin warming it up over low heat.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Add the eggs and beat with a fork till the eggs are whisked and incorporated into the surrounding flour, as if you were making pasta. Add the buttermilk and milk, and stir with spatula to combine. Add the melted, cooled butter and stir until combined.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, film with a thin layer of oil. After about 30 seconds, when the oil shimmers but is not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and use a soup spoon (I have a one-eighth cup (2 T) measuring cup, which I love for pancakes) to drop in heaping spoonfuls of pancake batter. Note: If you are using a BS griddle, adjust heat so griddle radiates heat and feels hot but not smoking — this takes just a teensy bit of practice.
- The batter will spread into a pancake about 3 inches wide. Cook for about 2 1/2 minutes. (If the pancake scorches or the oil smokes, lower the heat.) When the bubbles that form on the edges of the pancakes look dry and airy, use a thin spatula to gently lift one side and peek underneath. If the pancake is golden brown, flip and cook on the other side for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until the bottom of the pancake is golden brown.
- Transfer to a cooling rack briefly before serving. Scrape any stray crumbs or scraps out of the skillet, add a little more oil, and continue to cook the remaining batter.
Notes
Recipe Notes from the kitchn:
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use plain yogurt instead. Just use about 2/3 cup and thin it with some milk until it reaches the 1 cup mark. You can also quickly make a buttermilk substitute by mixing 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar with 2 cups of milk.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
418 Comments on “The BEST One-Bowl Buttermilk Pancakes”
chocolate chip cookies!! Yum!
First of all – THANK You Alexandra for always making innovative recipes that my family LOVES! The stell Griddle is exactly what I need. I can actually put it on my outdoor propane grill and make tasty grilled veggies without heating up my house (a big consideration during a Houston summer). Keep up the good work!!
For breakfast it would be lemon poppy seed waffles. But ravioli with tomatoes and artichoke hearts is a close second.
Your pancakes look fabulous! My family and i always have buttermilk pancakes on the weekend (with Kate’s Buttermilk from Maine, the best!). I am trying your recipe this weekend!
I don’t have a favorite one-bowl recipe….i do have to say I love the ease of a one pot chili on the stove and only having the one bowl to clean after mixing together the makings for my family’s favorite mini cheesy meatloaves! The less fuss and cleanup, the more time to enjoy!
Oh I don’t know which one bowl recipe I like best, to be honest I don’t like dirting up to to much because then I have to wash it so I try to make it one bowl as I can. That pancake recipe looks really good I’m going to give it a try this weekend
Great giveaway!
My favourite one-bowler is Alice Medrich’s Cocoa Brownies. (I don’t count the pot used for the bottom of the makeshift double boiler because it just has water in it and the 8×8 pan they bake in is lined with parchment, so it just gets put right back into the cupboard once it cools.)
Favourite line: ‘I know it’s uncool to like flour tortillas, but they are my preference.’ Amen, sister.
Cheers
Like you, I prefer not to use multiple bowls when making pancakes. My current method is to melt the butter in a 2-cup measuring cup, then adding the egg and flour and eye-balling the water. One “bowl” pancakes!
My favorite one-bowl recipe is Salmon Cakes. The recipe was from Real Simple’s Pantry Dinners feature from years ago. The Salmon comes out of a can and every other ingredient is a pantry staple (bread crumbs, mayo, capers, eggs, tarragon, Worcestershire sauce). I love pancakes and don’t make them often enough. Your recipe looks great and I’ll give it a go this weekend. Would love to try the Baking Steel Griddle. Was thinking about ordering a steel for pizza after having seen your posts, and the Griddle would be even more versatile!
Baking steel griddle? This old gal has never heard of such a thing . . . but it sure looks interesting! Especially since it can be used on top of the stove besides in the oven. Awesome! Would love to have one, especially for when the kids+ come home. Heck, even for hubby and I. We cook a lot. As for one bowl dishes . . . I try to make most everything one bowl. All this nonsense about mixing this and then that and combining … waste of time and too many dirty dishes. Would rather cook and eat than wash bowls!
Favorite one bowl dish: a French olive pesto chèvre quick bread. Dump and mix flour, eggs, milk, baking powder, olives, pesto, goat cheese and s&p. Bake in a loaf pan, serve sliced for hors d’œuvres, toasted for breakfast, as a snack, etc. Endless variations possible as well!
So many favorites of mine are made in one bowl. Right now, guacamole is my favorite.
I have the original Baking Steel, and love it. The steel makes baking pizza at home GREAT!
I am so intrigued by this baking steel. I, too, am tired of my clunky griddle with it’s awkwardly tall handles that make it hard to store. it is so great for grilled cheese, quesadillas, pancakes, we use it all the time.
My favorite one-bowl (or baking dish?) meal is Egg in Vinaigrette toast from food52. https://food52.com/recipes/27016-egg-in-vinaigrette-toast . It’s an egg in vinaigrette-coated toast. bake it, and then you throw a pile of arugula on top. So satisfying and delicious, I am so glad you reminded me of one of my favorite quick and easy dinners. It’s been a while, though, I think I changed it somehow- possibly starting it on the stovetop and finishing in the oven I can’t remember.
My favorite one bowl recipe is for no knead bread. So easy, so delicious!
Baked oatmeal. We like all kinds, but our favorite is peanut butter.
Great giveaway, and recipe tips! Our most frequent low-cleanup recipe is mac & cheese: cook the pasta, drain into a colander, make the sauce in the same pot and mix the pasta back in.
Yum yum! My favorite one bowl recipe is biscuits! Can’t wait to try these pancakes 🙂
pancakes, pancakes and more pancakes….and, I hate to admit this…made from Krusteaz! I love that stuff! The steel griddle looks amazing and would probably make my newest obsession easier….I am going to teach myself to make homemade corn tortillas….the last time I tried I felt very discouraged and quit soon after, so, now that some time has passed, I’m taking another stab at them! XXOOXX~!
My favorite one-bowl recipe is zucchini fritters. I make them 1-2-3 and the family loves them. They would do well on that griddle!
Alexandra, love your site, the recipes, and those little hands ! Love one bowl anything but do have a kale lentil one bowl salad we are fond of. The baking steel is quite an innovation and would love to have one. Thanks for the opportunity to try to win one.
I have a wonderful one bowl chocolate cake recipe!
My favorite would actually be buttermilk pancakes!
Such a timely post too! It’s actually being released on my Birthday and I so totally want one. Having a family of 4 now, my 10″ cast iron griddle pan isn’t cutting it. Pancakes take 40-60 minutes to make! I’ve been wanting a larger griddle but what is currently on the market isn’t working for me. This new one will b larger than the cast iron one I have which isn’t very good for family-sized cooking!
I would have to say that mixing Honey Nut Cheerios and Crispix with some local milk in one bowl is the best!
In the summer, smoothies bowls! In the winter, pintos with lardons, chills, and garlic
my homemade granola is a great one bowl dish! the griddle looks awesome 🙂
Clafoutis with any ripe stone fruit is always delicious and simple. And 1 bowl!
Also, apple snack cake. Yaas.
Honestly, I’m not much of a cook, but my husband is a
FABULOUS cook! His homemade sour dough bread is amazing! He would ADORE this griddle!
Do one pot meals count as one bowl dishes? I make sukiyaki, and all it requires is one pot! 🙂 Well, pan, really. I’d love to try your pancakes on a Baking Steel griddle, though! They look delish!! :-9
Even better than one-bowl: I have a “one-blender” recipe for date cake!
Just finished my one bowl rice pudding recipe and let me say it is delist…..
I love using my electric griddle but I also have a lot of cast iron pots and gadgets that I love using also.
I will check out the griddle mentioned above. Sounds wonderful. Thank you.