Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes

One skill that everyone in the world should acquire is the ability to make a perfect pancake. It's a trick that will come in handy for the rest of your life, after all--late Sunday mornings when the only things you want in life are the Sunday Styles section and a stack of hot cakes, the first weekend you spend with a new boyfriend (or girlfriend), or when you're just in the mood for a good, old-fashioned pancake supper, a la Friday Night Lights.

I found this particular recipe in Gwyneth's cookbook and then fiddled with it a bit to make it more to my liking (i.e. cutting it in half so that you only get around a dozen pancakes or so, instead of the 3 dozen the original recipe called for--I don't think there will ever come a time in my life where I'll need 36 pancakes at once). Also, the original recipe called for fine salt, but I used Kosher since it was all I had on hand, and the cakes came out absolutely delicious. I'd even go so far as to say these may be the best pancakes I've ever had. Try them out and let me know what you think. xo

Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from My Father's Daughter, by Gwyneth Paltrow
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 scant teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt or fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more butter for cooking
3 organic large eggs
About 1/2 cup whole milk, as needed to thin batter
Real Vermont maple syrup, for serving

Directions:
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, butter, and eggs together in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking just enough to combine (small lumps are okay). Let the batter sit, covered overnight in the fridge. The next morning, heat up your griddle or favorite nonstick pan and slick it with a little butter. Add enough milk to the batter to thin it to the right consistency--the thicker the batter, the thicker and heavier your pancakes; the thinner the batter, the more delicate your pancakes--neither is wrong. Cook the pancakes on the griddle or pan, flipping them after bubbles appear on the surface of the uncooked side. Let cook 2-3 minutes more, then remove, and eat with lots of maple syrup.