Active Time

　　25 min

　　Total Time

　　25 min

　　So you have a craving for buttermilk pancakes, but no buttermilk in the fridge. The solution: make sour cream pancakes instead. In many pancake recipes, the acidity of buttermilk works with baking soda to tenderize and add lift to the batter. But in this Gourmet recipe, editor Lillian Chou deploys a clever buttermilk substitution by mixing equal parts sour cream and milk to achieve a similar effect.

　　Besides delivering fluffy, slightly tangy pancakes, this recipe goes the extra cultured mile with its accompanying sauce. Simply stir sour cream, maple syrup, and melted butter together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for a creamy, rich syrup that pairs perfectly with the tender pancakes. If savory pancakes are more your speed, skip the sauce. The sour cream in the batter makes these pancakes a delicious blank canvas for caviar or cured salmon for a decadent weekend brunch—extra dollop of sour cream optional.

　　This recipe makes enough for four, so we recommend transferring cooked pancakes to a baking sheet in an oven heated to 300°F to keep them warm while you finish cooking.

　　Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the December 2010 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared online January 11, 2015.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

　　

For syrup:

Scant ½ cup sour cream

　　⅓ cup pure maple syrup

　　3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

　　

For pancakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

　　1 tablespoon sugar

　　1 teaspoon baking soda

　　½ teaspoon salt

　　½ cup sour cream

　　½ cup whole milk

　　1 large egg

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for cooking pancakes

　　

Make syrup:

Step 1

Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter has melted.

　　

Make pancakes:

Step 2

Preheat oven to 200°F.

　　

Step 3

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together sour cream, milk, egg, and melted butter (2 tablespoons), then whisk into flour mixture.

　　

Step 4

Brush a 12-inch nonstick skillet with melted butter and heat over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, pour a scant ¼ cup batter per pancake into skillet and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden brown. Flip and cook other side, about 1 minute. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Lightly butter skillet between batches.

　　

Step 5

Serve pancakes with warm syrup.