Start with a basic recipe for buttermilk pancakes – fluffy, tender, light, sweet yet slightly tangy with a soft, buttery crust. Then add fresh berries, which burst and turn syrupy against the heat of the griddle. Blueberries are standard, but this time I tried making blackberry pancakes instead. With their softer texture and dark, dramatic purple-black hue, the blackberries elevated these humble buttermilk pancakes to brunch-worthy status.
I had already spent what felt like a lifetime experimenting with pancakes trying to figure out the cause of “first pancake syndrome” – the tendency for the first batch of pancakes to come out flat and greasy. When I finally figured it out last year, I revealed the solution in my post about Pumpkin Pancakes. Bottom line: let your pan or griddle heat up slowly, giving it time to heat thoroughly and evenly. When you’re ready to start cooking the pancakes, pour a small amount of canola oil (or other neutral oil) on the griddle and then wipe it off with a paper towel, so the griddle appears virtually dry with no visible pools or streaks of oil. An evenly heated surface with a layer of oil so thin it’s undetectable is the secret to the soft-yet-slightly-crispy, never greasy crust on a perfect pancake.
To make blackberry pancakes, don’t stir the fruit into the batter. Instead, ladle the batter onto the griddle as you would for plain buttermilk pancakes, then sprinkle the fruit onto each puddle of batter. Not only does this prevent the batter from getting stained with berry juice, but it makes it easy to distribute the fruit evenly among the pancakes.
Blackberries are often quite a bit larger than other varieties of berries, and the ones I had on the day I made the pancakes for this post were huge, so I decided to roughly chop them before adding them to the pancakes. Cutting into the blackberries released all of their juices and allowed them to soften luxuriously into the pancakes. I combined the remaining chopped berries with some whole ones for a generous, juicy topping to pile on top of the finished pancakes. Maple syrup was the obvious finishing touch.
Prep tips, making these ahead, and what to do with leftovers:
- You can partially prep ahead by measuring out and mixing together the dry ingredients. Do this the night before and you’ll be halfway to pancakes when you get started the next morning.
- Pancakes are always best hot off the griddle. If you need to make these a little bit ahead, they can be held in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes or so before serving.
- If you end up with leftover pancakes, store them in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. They can be reheated in a 300-degree oven (for the best texture), the microwave (softer) or toaster (crispier).
Blackberry Pancakes
This recipe starts with a basic formula for buttermilk pancakes, which are great on their own if you don't have berries on hand. You can also substitute other types of fruit, or other add-ins such as nuts or chocolate chips, whatever you like.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1¾ cup flour (210 grams)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1/8 teaspoon Morton’s
- 1½ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 to 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as expeller-pressed canola oil
- 1 pint of fresh blackberries
- Maple syrup for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Step 2 Combine the dry ingredients a large bowl and whisk them to blend.
- Step 3 Whisk together the buttermilk and egg, then gently stir them into dry ingredients, just until combined. Add the melted butter and gently stir, just until combined. The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy, but you shouldn’t see clumps of dry flour.
- Step 4 Let the batter sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick griddle over medium heat. Heat the oven to 200 and place a large empty sheet pan in the oven. Coarsely chop about half of the blackberries.
- Step 5 When the batter is done resting, pour about 1 tablespoon of oil onto the griddle, then use a paper towel to rub the oil all over the griddle and remove most of the visible oil, leaving just a thin sheen. Cook the pancakes in batches. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter for smaller pancakes, or up to a scant ½ cup of batter for larger ones. Dollop the batter on the griddle, spacing the pancakes well apart. Sprinkle each pancake with a few chunks of the chopped blackberries. Cook the pancakes without turning or moving until the edges of the pancakes look dry and rising bubbles make small holes in the top surface. Lift the edge of each pancake to make sure it’s golden brown on the bottom before flipping. Flip and cook the other side to golden brown. The pancakes should only be flipped once, and cooking both sides should take 6 to 10 minutes total depending on how evenly your griddle distributes heat. Transfer the cooked pancakes to the sheet pan in the oven, and repeat to cook the remaining pancakes. If the griddle looks dry, add a little more oil in between batches, making sure to wipe off the excess with the paper towel.
- Step 6 Combine any remaining chopped blackberries with the reserved whole blackberries. Arrange the pancakes on a serving platter, or stack them on individual plates, and spoon the berry mixture over the top. Serve with maple syrup.
These look yummy!
Oh my gosh, I know what I’m making for breakfast on Sunday!
Thanks, Krystal – let me know how they turn out!!