Cook's Illustrated Light and Fluffy Pancakes **My go-to recipe**

Soon after I was married I knew I would need to aquire some cooking skills. To say that I needed some help in the kitchen was an understatement. I had grown up helping my Mom in the kitchen but the extent of my skills was pretty  much spaghetti, enchiladas and cookies. Mostly cookies. My husband and I still laugh about how many frozen Totino's Pizzas we had in our freezer, disgusting I know!! I think I called my Mom on a daily basis for about 2 months to ask "how do you cook chicken?" or "what is a garlic clove?"  In my defense I was only 19 when I got married and had never lived away from home.

Armed with a recipe file of my childhood favorites my Mom had made for me, the infamous Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook I had received as a wedding gift, and recipes I started collecting from friends, I was ready.

Seeing as how breakfast was my favorite meal and the ingredients were simple, it seemed like a good place to start. Instead of buying convenience foods I started making things like pancakes, waffles and muffins from scratch. I realized that I really enjoyed cooking and  noticed that once I tasted a made-from-scratch version of something, it was really hard to go back to a mix. Cakes, rolls, waffles, brownies. I think I can safely say that homemade was and still is hands down a winner. Not to say that I never use mixes, but often times I find that making things from scratch doesn't take much longer and the results are so much better that I don't mind spending a few extra minutes in the kitchen.

Enter the pancake. What's better than a Saturday morning in your jammies eating pancakes and snuggling with your kiddos ? Not much in my book especially since most of our Saturdays usually consist of getting up for an early morning run followed by a busy day filled with soccer, basketball, dance recitals, etc.

If you know me at all, you know that I am constantly trying new recipes trying to find my favorite or the best. I have tried many pancake recipes but besides these yummy and ultra rich pancakes, these are hands my down, tried and true, go-to favorite.

As the name implies, they are light and fluffy with a sweet and tangy and almost buttery taste. Topped with anything from butter and maple syrup, to whipped cream and strawberries, or peanut butter and bananas, I'm betting these will become a family favorite of yours as well.

P.S. I'm happy to report that in the last 16 years I have 1- vastly improved in the kitchen, 2- haven't touched a Totino's pizza for years, and 3- thanks to this blog, now I'm the one getting the cooking questions.

Light and Fluffy Pancakes

If you have buttermilk on hand, use 2 cups instead of the milk and lemon juice mixture.
**See cook's notes at bottom of recipe*

• 
  
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Whisk the lemon juice and milk together in a medium bowl or large measuring cup; set aside to thicken while preparing the other ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine.

Whisk the egg and melted butter into the milk until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients in the bowl; pour in the milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (a few lumps should remain). Do not overmix.

Heat a 12 in. nonstick skillet over medium heat (I always use my trusty griddle) for 3-5 minutes; add 1 tsp oil (more for a griddle. Just eyeball it). and brush to coat the skillet bottom evenly. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto 3 spots on the skillet. Cook pancakes until large bubbled being to appear, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using a thin, wide spatula, flip the pancakes until golden brown on the second side, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer. Serve immediately. Repeat with remaining batter, using the remaining vegetable oil only if necessary. 

For a delicious blueberry version:

Have ready 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, preferably wild, rinsed and dried. Follow the recipe for Light and Fluffy Pancakes. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon blueberries over each pancake just after pouring batter into the pan.

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated The New Best Recipe

Posted by: Sallie

 Cook's Note- **According to my recipe book, taste testers actually preferred the lemon juice and milk mixture over replacing it with buttermilk. I only tried this once and overlooked the fact that they used whole milk. I used 1 percent and I had to disagree. I liked the buttermilk version much better( and I always have it on hand.I rarely buy whole milk)  I will have to try again with whole milk and let you know my verdict.**