Extra thick, cloud-soft American pancakes, the star of any Sunday breakfast. Buttermilk and baking soda react with each other and make the batter rise like a soufflé. A dream with maple syrup and fresh berries.
Why this works
Baking soda is a base and needs an acid to release carbon dioxide. The lactic acid in the buttermilk provides it, and it does so immediately upon mixing. That is why the batter belongs in the pan and not in a waiting period. If you stir for a long time, you lose twice. The bubbles escape, and the wheat protein cross-links into gluten, which makes the pancakes tough instead of cloudy.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Mix dry ingredients
Put flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and mix everything well. If you mix the dry ingredients evenly beforehand, the baking powder and baking soda will be distributed cleanly in the batter and the pancakes will rise evenly everywhere later.
- 2
Whisk liquid ingredients
Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract in a measuring cup to a smooth liquid. Make sure the butter is no longer hot, otherwise the egg will curdle. Buttermilk and baking soda are already starting to react quietly with each other, and that is exactly what makes the pancakes so fluffy.
- 3
Stir batter together
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and stir everything only very roughly. A few lumps are expressly allowed to remain, because if you stir the batter smooth, you get tough instead of fluffy pancakes. Then let the batter rest for 5 minutes so that the flour can swell and the leavening can get going.
- 4
Bake
Heat a pan over medium heat and melt a little butter in it. Pour a small ladle of batter per pancake into it and let it bake until bubbles rise on the surface and burst at the edge. Now turn and finish baking the second side until golden brown, which only takes about a minute.
- 5
Serve
Stack the warm pancakes into a high tower on the plate. Pour maple syrup generously over them and distribute fresh berries on top. They taste best immediately, while they are still warm and cloud-soft.
Our best tips
- Do not stir too much! A lumpy batter makes fluffy pancakes, a smooth batter makes tough ones.
- Consider the first pancake as a test, after that the pan has the perfect temperature.
- Keep finished pancakes warm in the 80 °C warm oven until all are baked.
Tasty variations
Blueberry Pancakes
Press a few blueberries into the still wet batter right after pouring.
Without Buttermilk
Mix 350 ml milk with 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice and let stand for 5 minutes, the substitute is ready.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 391 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 55 g |
| – of which sugar | 10 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
Where the 391 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my pancakes not getting fluffy?
Usually the batter was stirred too long or the baking powder is old. Stir only until no dry flour is visible anymore, and let the batter swell briefly.
Can I prepare the batter the night before?
Better not, baking powder and baking soda lose their leavening power overnight. But you can prepare dry and liquid ingredients separately and mix them in the morning.
How do I freeze pancakes?
Stack cooled pancakes with baking paper in between and freeze. Thawed in the toaster they taste like fresh.
Comments & ratings(1)
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Florian Knak
20. Juli 2026
Sehr schön und fluffig. Genau so wie bei Omma!
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