Amazing Buttermilk Pancakes

My family's favorite breakfast are my buttermilk pancakes. It's so easy to make a variety of flavors with this pancake recipe.  I can add blueberries, chocolate chips and pecans to suit each persons tastes. Served with my hot homemade syrup, it's delicious!

Buttermilk Pancakes:

prep: 10 minutes    cook: 4 minutes per batch   makes: 8 standard size or 30 dollar size pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk or (sour milk) see note at end of recipe
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (opt.)
1 cup chocolate chips (opt.)
1 cup chopped pecans (opt.)

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and any fruit, nuts or chocolate chips at this point and mix well. Make a well in center of flour mixture: set aside. Combine the egg, buttermilk and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Add additional buttermilk to thin batter, if necessary.

2. For standard-size pancakes, pour or spread about 1/4 cup batter into a 3-inch circle onto a lightly greased skillet or heavy skillet. For dollar-size pancakes, pour or spread about 1 Tablespoon batter into a 1 inch circle onto a lightly greased griddle or skillet. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry.

Notes: Always add any fruit, nuts or chocolate chips to the dry ingredients as that prevents them from sinking to the bottom. Adding any kind of fruit etc. usually adds volume to the batter and it makes more. I double the recipe for my family, but for 2-3 people, its usually perfect. I spread the 2 TBSPS. of oil onto my hot griddle (375 degrees) or heavy skillet about medium. Buttermilk makes this recipe amazing, but in a pinch you can make sour milk.

Sour Milk: For each cup of sour milk needed, place 1Tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid: stir. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes or more before using.

Hot Homemade Syrup:

1 cup backed light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. Mapleine flavor

1. Put all ingredients into a small saucepan on medium high and stir. When hot and bubbly, let simmer for 5 minutes till all the sugars have dissolved. Remove from stove and add Mapleine extract flavoring. (most stores sell it).