i have made a shit ton of pancakes in my life from the shameful bisquick variety in my 20's to the from scratch with all organic ingredients versions of now. trust me, the latter is the way to go. so i have done the hard time pancake testing for you and narrowed it down to these 2 recipes as the BFP's. (best fucking pancakes)
in my mind there are 2 types of pancakes...thick and cakey or thin and crisp. i tend to prefer thin and crisp...but sometimes only a fluffy, cakey stack of pancakes will do. in any case loads of butter and pure maple syrup are a requirement.
the first recipe comes from scott peacock and edna lewis's cookbook the gift of southern cooking. it's the "buttermilk pancakes" recipe on page 226. know it by heart.
this recipe uses less flour and more liquid which gives them their thin and crisp texture. please also note that while i have made these with buttermilk in the past, i am a dairy free girl (butter is the only exception) and have been making these with almond milk or coconut milk with great results. but by all means use buttermilk if you can.
3/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
butter for greasing skillet
put the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl, and whisk briefly to blend. in a separate mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk into the egg and add the melted butter. dump the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk briefly, until the batter is well blended and there are no large lumps.
heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat, and grease very lightly (or heavily as i do) with butter. spoon about 2 tbsp. of batter for each pancake, and cook until bubbles appear on top. flip the pancakes, and cook 30 seconds longer.
*note..the recipe says it makes 14 pancakes to serve 3 or 4 people, but i have found over the hundreds of times i have made these that for 3 people it makes about 3 pancakes each. probably bc i don't actually use 2 tbsp. of batter for each pancake, making it necessary sometimes to double the recipe. also use a non stick skillet or a cast iron skillet that is good and seasoned.
pancake number 2 comes from ina garten's family style cookbook. they are the banana sour cream pancakes and they really put the 'cake' in pancake. sweet, delicious heroin cakes. they are more filling than the other recipe and heavier. but still veeeery good. i myself am not a fruit in my food person, so i make these without the bananas. and i use vegan sour cream in place of reg. or i use soy yogurt, all with great results. 
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Unsalted butter
- 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
- Pure maple syrup
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.
so go make some pancakes. your welcome.