These fluffy sour cream pancakes are super soft and delicious. Included in the recipe is an option to use part whole-grain flour, which adds flavor and nutrition without sacrificing that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
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Hey friends.
Don’t mind me over here ignoring the fact that it’s Valentine’s Day and posting fluffy sour cream pancakes.
Just go with the flow, okay?
‘Cause there’s really no better way to say I love you than with fluffy sour cream pancakes (okay, chocolate works too).
If you’re super crafty (unlike this girl) you could try to make them into a heart shape. But the taste does the talking as far as I’m concerned.
I adapted this recipe from our favorite whole-grain buttermilk pancake recipe. By the way, that recipe along with these sour cream blender pancakes (also with 100% whole-grain) are really THE BEST 100% whole-grain pancake recipes I’ve ever tasted. They are both phenomenal. And they will continue to be my go-to whole-grain pancake recipes for the foreseeable future.
But sometimes pancakes have to fit the circumstances. And 100% whole-grain doesn’t always work.
When my husband got out of the hospital a few months ago, we needed kind of a intermediate pancake between the all white flour hospital pancakes they served in the hospital and our 100% whole grain pancakes we normally serve at home. So that’s when I created this version.
If you look really close, you’ll notice these fluffy sour cream pancakes resemble very closely the recipe for 100% whole-grain pancakes. I just made a few tweaks here and there.
First off, they use sour cream instead of buttermilk. You could still use buttermilk if you like (just replace it for the amount of sour cream + milk in this recipe). I like to change things up a bit for a bit of variety (and probably ’cause that’s what I had on hand at the time and it just kinda stuck). I honestly love both sour cream and buttermilk equally in pancakes. They are both so super tasty.
Then instead of 100% whole grain flour, they call for part or all all-purpose white flour. I actually prefer the flavor of them with half whole-grain and half white flour. They are extra fluffy with the white flour, but still have some nutrition and flavor from the whole grains.
Just one bowl
Hurray for easy one-bowl recipes, amiright?
Basically I don’t believe in doing extra dishes so I came up with a method that works with just one bowl. Make sure you follow the directions so they turn out fluffy. I’m warning you that you’re going to get tired of me saying this, but it’s very important so pay attention.
DON’T OVERMIX THE BATTER AND DON’T MIX IT AGAIN AFTER IT HAS BEEN MIXED.
Sorry to shout but you know I’ll say it three more times in this post and some of you will still go and mix the batter again. Sigh. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Resist the urge.
How to Cook a Perfect Pancake
There is an art in pancake cooking and today I’m going to share a few tips that I’ve learned.
Always heat your griddle before adding the pancake batter. I like to test it with a drop of water. If it sizzles, it’s ready to go.
For nice-looking, round pancakes, a large cookie scoop (#20 cookie scoop, aff. link) works well for distributing the batter.
Pancakes ALWAYS taste better when they are flipped once (at the right time) rather than flipped several times back and forth.
Flipping too early is the most often mistake (because we’re all a little impatient, aren’t we?) Just hold your horses and those little bubbles will form, I promise.
You can tell if the skillet is too hot because the bubbles form will too quickly and the pancakes will be too dark when you flip them. Adjust the heat down until the bubbles take a few minutes to form. This is a lesson in patience that will reward you in perfect, light and fluffy pancakes.
Here’s a little visual of what you are looking for so you get the idea.
Oh and please don’t pat the pancake after flipping it.
Why do people do this, anyway? Is it a reflex thing? I dunno.
All I know is you want to keep all those nice air bubbles in the pancake so resist the urge to squash them.
Can I freeze/reheat them?
Yes! To freeze, wait until the pancakes are completely cool. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place pancakes on the paper in a single layer. Place baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or until pancakes are most of the way frozen through. Then remove pancakes from the parchment paper and place in gallon freezer bags and freeze up to a month (or probably longer).
We usually reheat them in a microwave or skillet (if you want them a little crisper) until they are warmed through.
A few more tips:
I’ve found that the brand of baking powder does matter in pancakes especially. I always use the Rumford brand of baking powder (aff. link) that is aluminum free. It makes the pancakes nice and light.
REMEMBER not to overmix after you’ve added the baking powder. Mix until just barely mixed, then let the batter rest for a few minutes to let the baking powder react. Also do not mix batter after you have let the batter rest or you will flatten all that air and end up with flat, tough pancakes
These pancakes are delicious with this coconut buttermilk syrup. We also love them with this amazing low-sugar strawberry freezer jam. You really can’t go wrong with either option.
Sometimes if we don’t have either of those, we take the simple approach and use butter and drizzle on a little agave. Yum.
Fluffy Sour Cream Pancakes {Whole-Grain Option}
These fluffy sour cream pancakes are super soft and delicious. Included in the recipe is an option to use part whole-grain flour, which adds flavor and nutrition without sacrificing that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (6 ounces) flour see note
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) sour cream
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
Instructions
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In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-grain flour, sour cream, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Use a large whisk to mix until just barely combined.
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Add baking powder, then whisk until just barely mixed in. Very important: do not overmix and once the batter is mixed, do not mix again!
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Let the batter rest while prepping the griddle. This will allow the baking powder to react and the batter to rise. REMEMBER do not mix it again or you will flatten all that air and not get the soft, tender pancakes we are going for.
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Heat a nonstick griddle to medium for a couple of minutes until a drop of water sizzles on it (about 350 on my griddle, but every griddle will be different).
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Scoop batter into rounds on the preheated griddle. I use my #20 cookie scoop to portion out the batter which holds about 3-4 tablespoons and makes about a 4-inch diameter pancake.
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Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface and the edges are set, 1-3 minutes, depending on the heat of the griddle.
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Flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or so until golden and cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.
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Serve immediately or keep warm in a 175 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes. Or see recipe notes for freezing instructions.
Recipe Notes
1. I most often use half whole-grain flour + half all-purpose flour in this recipe (about 3 ounces of each). For the whole-grain flour, I like a mixture of freshly ground spelt, barley, and brown rice. Freshly ground flour is always the best option for nutrition as well as flavor. If you try wheat I highly recommend going with white wheat flour. It is much less dense than red wheat flour and I prefer to use it in my baking. You can usually find the hard white wheat flour in the baking aisle, just make sure it specifies hard white wheat otherwise it’s probably ground from red wheat.
3. I’ve found that the brand of baking powder does matter in pancakes especially. I always use the Rumford brand of baking powder that is aluminum free. It makes the pancakes nice and light.
4. I know I’ve said it twice in this recipe, but it deserves a third time, trust me! Make sure that once you mix it the batter, you let it rest (resist that urge to stir it again–I know you want to). Then when it’s time to scoop the batter onto the griddle, be careful not to smash all the nice air pockets. And resist the urge to pat them down after flipping. That will ensure that your pancakes are nice and fluffy.
5. These pancakes freeze great. We almost always make a double or triple batch so we have some frozen ones for easy breakfasts during the week. To freeze wait until the pancakes are completely cool. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place pancakes on the paper in a single layer. Place baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or until pancakes are most of the way frozen through. Then remove pancakes from the parchment paper and place in gallon freezer bags and freeze up to a month (or probably longer). We usually reheat them in a microwave or toaster (if you want them a little crisper) until they are warmed through.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, adapted from our favorite whole-grain buttermilk pancake recipe
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
This looks delicious! Have you ever used half almond flour + half all-purpose flour? Thanks!
Thank you Rachael. I have not cooked much with almond flour so I’m not familiar with the substitution there. Let me know if you try it how it turns out! I’d love to hear.