Make-Ahead Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

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Last week my fifteen-year-old had his ADHD med check. This came a week or two after his yearly check up and he had lost weight in that time. Red has always been on the skinny side but lately he is in danger of blowing away in the wind so his doctor ordered him to sleep more and EAT. He forgets to eat in the morning and since he leaves the house at 6:20 in the morning and (not) being the morning person that I am I’m not in any position to get up before dawn to cook him a wholesome breakfast. 

Instead, I have decided to make some breakfasts that are easy to freeze and defrost so that he can have a good breakfast instead of a quick (processed) convenience food in the morning. My first make-ahead meal is homemade buttermilk pancakes. Instead of buying the boxed (processed) frozen pancakes it’s very easy to make them ahead of time and freeze them yourself. 

I have also included my homemade buttermilk pancakes recipe at the end of this post. This particular batch is banana and I will share that variation as well. 

I have read several times in different groups that people have a hard time making pancakes. They come out flat and rubbery which doesn’t sound very appetizing. Besides the recipe, the most important thing to making a fluffy pancake is NOT TO OVER-MIX THEM. When you combine your dry and wet ingredients you want to stir them together slowly with a whisk until combined and then STOP. Don’t worry about lumps, they’ll cook out. Seriously, lumpy batter isn’t the enemy, mixing it too much is. 

Once you have your beautiful lumpy batter mixed together make sure your griddle (or pan) is fully heated before adding your batter. I put some cooking spray on the griddle to stop any disasters from happening. Add your batter to the griddle, I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup for my pancakes. 

Once your pancakes start to bubble on top and the sides appear to be firm test them with your spatula by lifting up a tiny edge and see if it feels “flippable”. If so then flip your pancakes and cook the other side until golden brown. 

Store them on a plate or pan and leave them until they are cooled. I used a sheet pan since I made a double batch.

Once cooled wrap them in packs of two or however many you would eat in a sitting and put them in a freezer bag for freezing. 

Defrosting is simple. I put the frozen pancakes in the microwave for about 30 seconds, separate and flip them over and microwave for another 30 seconds or until warm. 

Now your kids can have a delicious homemade breakfast without all of the effort. 

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Buttermilk Pancakes (Variation: Banana)

Skip the boxed mix and make this simple and delicious pancake recipe instead. No buttermilk or eggs? No problem! See my notes for a variation if you are missing one or both of these ingredients.

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Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Add your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar) to a bowl and combine thoroughly.
2. Combine your wet ingredients in another bowl (oil, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla)
3. Add your dry ingredients to the wet and SLOWLY combine with a whisk. Once combined STOP. Do not try to beat the lumps out or you will have flat, rubbery pancakes if you overbeat the batter. Any lumps will cook out.

Notes

1. If you want to make banana pancakes (or don't have eggs) replace the eggs with a 1/4 cup of mashed banana per egg.
2. If you don't have buttermilk add a tbsp (per cup) of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup then add regular milk. Let it sit for a few minutes.
3. If you don't want to use oil, replace it with applesauce.