Breakfast just got a whole lot easier with these fluffy baked pancakes. Baking a simple buttermilk pancake batter in the oven is brilliant! And so easy and tasty!
I am not necessarily in the camp that thinks flipping pancakes on a griddle is all that tiresome (am I the only one that thinks it borders on therapeutic sometimes??). But there is definitely something extraordinarily brilliant about spreading pancake batter in a pan and baking it. Especially for those mornings when I have a million other things to do besides flipping pancake after pancake.
It took a few tweaks to get this recipe just right – surprisingly, I couldn’t just slap my favorite buttermilk pancake recipe into a 9X13, bake it and call it good. Too thick. Too cardboardy. Too gummy.*
*These were just some of the results when I tried.
Thankfully for you and for me, it wasn’t exactly rocket science to figure out the right proportion of ingredients to get perfect fluffy baked pancakes.
I definitely wanted these baked pancakes to be on the thin side. I wasn’t looking for pancakes that resembled a towering sheet cake. Thin, fluffy, soft. Not only do they bake quickly, but they are exactly what they seem! A baked pancake, barely sweet, and perfect with fruit, syrup, jam or whatever you like to dollop on your pancakes.
I like using buttermilk in the batter. I’m kind of buttermilk’s biggest fan, if you want to know the truth. It lends a wonderful flavor and texture to the pancakes (baked or griddled). However, you can easily sub in half sour cream/half milk if you don’t have buttermilk.
Like any good pancake or waffle recipe, once the dry ingredients are added, whisk or mix only until just combined and no dry streaks are left over. A few little lumpy bumpies are ok.
This recipe works great with 100% all-purpose flour, but I like to use half all-purpose and half whole wheat. I always use white whole wheat flour – or einkorn or kamut if I’m feeling fancy and generous – for a lighter texture (vs red whole wheat).
You could definitely experiment using 100% whole wheat flour; the baked pancakes will be a little bit more dense and darker in color. But I know some of you will try it, and I love you for that!
Spread the batter into a thin layer in a lightly greased 9X13-inch pan (you can line the bottom with parchment if you like, although it isn’t completely necessary as long as the pan is greased). I have only ever made these fluffy baked pancakes in a metal pan. If you use a glass or ceramic pan, the pancakes will probably bake faster, so keep an eye on that.
If you want to top the batter with fresh berries, now’s the time!
I love using fresh blueberries. There’s just something about blueberries and pancakes together that makes me so very happy. Chocolate chips would also be a very acceptable substitute to berries. Always.
When I use berries, I like to sprinkle the top with about 1-2 tablespoons of coarse sugar (like raw or turbinado sugar). The batter itself isn’t very sweet (there’s only 1 tablespoon sugar in the batter), and I love the little pop of sweetness the coarse sugar adds with the fresh berries.
If I choose not to add berries, I nix the sugar on top. Don’t ask me why. It’s just a feeling.
These pancakes bake for 15-20 minutes until they are puffed throughout and the top springs back lightly to the touch. The berries will be just about ready to burst, if they haven’t already.
After adding blueberries, I actually really love eating the pancake squares plain and simple without traditional pancake toppings. Warm or room temp, they make a delicious breakfast or snack.
My family is all about the butter and syrup, though. And I guess I can’t blame them. Sometimes they even throw a fried egg on top and then drizzle with maple syrup. This occurs with regular pancakes, too. They get the strange habit from their dad.
Blueberries or not, these baked pancakes or so tasty and so ridiculously easy. I don’t know why I’m surprised we love them so much – I mean, they taste like a pancake that’s been baked instead of cooked on a griddle. Not exactly a huge culinary breakthrough here.
But still. It’s quite exciting for this breakfast loving family.
After my post last week on solutions for feeding a crowd, I think these baked pancakes would be a fantastic option for serving breakfast to a ton of people. I’m guessing the recipe could easily be doubled for a half sheet pan.
A couple of those pans could go a long way to knocking out morning hunger pains. Since the batter is quick to make and the pancakes take less than 20 minutes to bake, breakfast is pretty low-hassle, even for a large group.
I really feel like this fluffy baked pancakes recipe has unlimited potential when it comes to add-ins, toppings, flavor combos. I’m fairy certain adding mashed bananas or canned pumpkin to the batter would work out pretty darn well if you want to change up the base recipe a little.
And toppings? Just off the top of my head, I can think of: blueberries, raspberries, chocolate chips, diced or canned peaches, cinnamon + sugar, dollops of Nutella.
What else? What else? So many options, so little time. I’m excited to hear what you think of these baked pancakes…and what you add to them to amp up the creativity!
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Yield:
12-15 pancake squares
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or half sour cream/half milk)
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 3/4 cup (3.75 ounces) whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional Toppings:
- Fresh berries or chocolate chips, etc.
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9X13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. *I’ve only used a metal baking pan for this recipe; if using glass, the pancake may bake faster.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and butter. Add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until just combined and no dry streaks remain (it’s ok if the batter has small lumps).
- Spread the batter evenly in the pan; it will be a thin layer. If desired, top the batter with 1 cup fresh berries (could try frozen, too), and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffy and lightly golden on the edges; the top of the pancake will spring back lightly when gently pressed. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter, syrup, jam or other pancake toppings.
Notes
I prefer using white whole wheat flour; it lends a lighter texture to the pancake batter than red whole wheat flour.
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Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
