Fluffy pancakes with maple syrup and butter are such a quintessentially American breakfast. Served alongside crispy bacon or savoury sausage to give that salty-sweet vibe when touched with the syrup, it’s hard to throw a stone on a Saturday or Sunday morning in the USA without hitting someone who’s having pancakes for breakfast or brunch. There are lots of varieties of course. You’ll find big fat stacks of flapjacks as we sometimes call them stateside or tiny, bitesized “silver dollar” style pancakes named after the now outdated coins that were about the diameter of an espresso cup. Strawberry, chocolate chip, plain, banana or buttermilk flavours are all options alongside countless others I’m sure, but my personal favourite is blueberry and this recipe for Blueberry Pancakes is lit!
Blueberries when they’re cooked get soft and juicy, almost syrupy and swell to bursting. They are so flavourful and delicious, bleeding their purple juices across everything they touch. There’s just something so comforting about these deep, rich blobs of flavour, whether they’re in muffins, cakes, compotes or pancakes.
There’s really not much to making American-Style Blueberry Pancakes other than simply doing it. There aren’t a huge amount of ingredients, so this is a great breakfast to whip up in the morning. And if you’re in a bit of a hurry, you can always have a few pans on the go to fry multiple pancakes at once or use a wide griddle if you have one, but I personally love the leisurely slow preparation of a batch of pancakes, leaving the ones that are done to keep warm in a low-heat oven. It gives me time to wake up, chill out and enjoy endless cups of coffee. Let’s get started!
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients
- 215g plain flour (all purpose)
- 3 tablespoons white caster sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt)
- 250ml full fat milk (whole milk)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for frying & serving
- 150g fresh blueberries
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix these ingredients all together with a wire whisk and set aside.
- In another bowl or jug add the milk and eggs. Whisk this together to combine and pour in the butter, gradually and slowly whisking as you go so the warm, melted butter doesn’t scramble the eggs.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ones and stir this with a wire whisk until well combined. It might be a little lumpy and that’s ok, but you want to make sure it’s stirred enough that you’re not seeing any dry flour.
- Dump in the blueberries and use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to fold them in gently.
- Put a frying pan on medium or medium-low heat and melt the butter. You need to be careful not to overheat the pan as butter has quite a low smoke point and will burn easily if the pan is too hot. If necessary you can sort of increase and reduce the heat as needed as you work.
- When the butter has melted, use a cup or a ladle to scoop out some of the blueberry speckled batter into the hot, buttery pan and use the scooper to swirl around the blob of batter to spread it out in a circular motion. I personally don’t worry much about having perfectly circular pancakes – there’s a beauty to the rustic, asymmetrical blob of a homemade pancake. I do however use a spatula to push the blueberries around if necessary before the pancake batter cooks too much so they’re spread out evenly.
- Cook your pancake until bubbles are forming across the top and the edges are starting to brown. When it’s nicely covered with bubbles on top, it’s time to flip. Don’t be timid. Gently slide a spatula around the edges all the way around to ensure it’s not stuck to the pan and then in one confident movement, slide the spatula all the way under the pancake and give it a flip. Cook on the other side for another couple of minutes or until the pancake is cooked through and golden on both sides.
- When you’re pancake is done, remove it to a plate in the oven to keep warm. I typically turn mine on to about 60°C Fan which is the lowest setting and just enough to keep them nice and warm. Repeat until you have used all your batter.
- To serve, place a pancake or stack two onto a plate. Serve with pats of butter on top and maple syrup on the side. For a full breakfast, I really love serving this with crispy fried streaky bacon and the perfect salt complement to all the sweetness of the pancakes. Serve with extra butter and syrup on the side for topping up as you eat.
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