Good morning!

Hello all! Since it's Father's Day, we had a little breakfasty-brunchy event here at the homestead & I decided that buttermilk pancakes with blueberries would be a nice way to start the day.

Now I've tried some pancake mixes but mixing them up from scratch really doesn't take much more time or effort. They cook up thick & fluffy & the flavor...let me just say that once you've done pancakes like this - it will be hard to go back.

Buttermilk is key as well. I've experimented with a few different recipes (both with & without) from the biggie cookbooks that everyone has on their shelf but the one I love best is from my most favorite celebrity chef, Alton Brown. (Blueberries are our own addition.)

AB's approach to food is truly unique. I'm a regular watcher of Good Eats and Alton has taught me how to clean a melon without losing a digit as well as how to avoid brown guacamole. As far as I'm concerned, AB rocks.

So here we go!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

3 T sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk

4 T unsalted butter (melted & slightly cooled)

Plus:

blueberries (fresh or frozen)

extra butter for the griddle

Combine the dry ingredients & either sift or pulse in your food processor for 5 seconds.

Whisk together the wet ingredients.

Mix together wet & dry combinations just until they are moistened. Do not mix until smooth! That's just too much & will result in tough pancakes.

Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes which should be just enough time for the griddle to heat up. Go to 350 degrees if you've got an electric one, otherwise, medium-low for a non-stick skillet. Flick some water on to test it then butter it up!

Ladle a scoop of batter onto the griddle.

Now is the time to throw in your additions! Today we used frozen blueberries but in the past we've done slices of ripe banana. And if we're feeling really sassy...chocolate chips. (Bananas AND chocolate chips are a personal favorite!)

Cook until bubbles form & the bottom is a lovely golden color. Then flip!

The first side should take about 3 minutes then approximately 2 more minutes after the flip. Don't be afraid to adjust the heat if you're browning too quickly - you want to be sure the cakes cook through without burning.

That's IT! These will be thicker than you might be used to - which is definitely not a bad thing. And the flavor is simply divine. Warm up some maple syrup & go nuts!

Oh! I nearly forgot - but for some folks who recently mentioned they've ditched all white flours - in his book, Alton does give the option of using 2 cups of whole wheat flour instead of the all-purpose. I'm not sure how you'd substitute brown sugar for the white...I'll leave that to you guys to figure out! Good luck!

As I look at this picture, I can't help but think how messy & uneven the pancakes look. It's the sort of image that would make me not want to show this recipe to the world...but wow, they are delicious. The batter is thick so the shapes are a little odd, the blueberries burst making their own sort of mess...

Let me assure you, they may not make a pretty picture but I bet you haven't had pancakes as good as these. Try it! And let me know! The comments are open & waiting for ya!