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.