Pancakes without Buttermilk

These buttermilk pancakes are made without buttermilk, but are just as light and fluffy and have that buttermilk flavor.

Since I already have pancakes without milk, I thought it would be fun to make buttermilk pancakes without buttermilk.

Instead of using water like my dairy free pancakes do, this recipe makes and uses a dairy free buttermilk, which gives it that special flavor.

These pancakes go great with just about any syrup. And they can easily be turned into blueberry pancakes by sprinkling blueberries on top of the pancakes when you first put them in the pan.

Jump to:

• history of Pancakes
• How to Measure Flour and Other Dry Ingredients
• What kind of sugar should I use?
• Do Eggs Need to Be at Room Temperature?
• Can I Make This Without Using Eggs?
• What Kind of Vanilla Should I Use?
• Can I use baking soda and baking powder interchangeably?
• Can i make it gluten free?
• Other Buttermilk Recipes made without Buttermilk
• Other Breakfast Recipes You May like
• Pancakes without Buttermilk

history of Pancakes

The Ancient Greeks made pancakes called tagenias, which is derived from the Greek word for frying pan. 

They were made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk and were served for breakfast just as our American pancakes are served today.

They also had a spelt flour pancake: staititas.  These pancakes were topped with honey, sesame, and cheese.

Over the centuries, most countries all over the world created their own form of pancakes different ways to eat them. 

The French have crepes which can be sweet for dessert or savory crepes for a meal. Ethiopains eat injera, which is eaten like a flatbread and essential to meals. Ugandans favor banana pancakes. The list goes on and on.

Unlike in many other countries, American pancakes are a type of quickbread, falling into the same category as cornbread. 

This means, unlike crepes, they use leavening agents such as baking soda and baking powder to make them more cakey.

How to Measure Flour and Other Dry Ingredients

The best way to measure dry ingredients is with a scale, but in the United States, dry measuring cups are usually used instead.

Weighing ingredients is useful for home bakers, but it's especially important for professional bakers because they work with huge batches. 

I usually use dry measuring cups when baking too, because I didn't grow up in a country that generally weighs ingredients, so please don't feel like you can't use them.

To measure most dry ingredients, first spoon them into a dry measuring cup and then level off the measuring cup with an upside-down butter knife.

Make sure not to pack it down because this will cause you to use more of the ingredient than the recipe calls for.

Brown sugar is the exception to the rule, though. To measure brown sugar, pack it into the measuring cup and then level off any excess.

To measure chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit, just pour them into the dry measuring cup and then level them off.

What are dry measuring cups?

Dry measuring cups are the set of cups that usually come with measuring spoons. Each cup is a different measurement, just like each spoon is a different measurement.

Liquid measuring cups, on the other hand, are the cups that usually hold more than one cup and have lines on the side that mark the measurements.

The problem with using liquid measuring cups to measure powdery dry ingredients, like flour and cocoa, is that you shake the cup to level them off. This causes the powder to settle, and you end up with more than you need.

I tested this with a friend who didn't believe me, and we ended up with a quarter cup more flour than the recipe called for.

Should I sift the flour and other dry ingredients?

It's usually recommended to sift your powdery ingredients, like flour and cocoa, before using them.

Sifting aerates the flour and removes any lumps, which helps make baked goods fluffier.

It also helps you get a more accurate measurement than when you use flour that's been packed tightly in a bag.

And sifting dry ingredients together, like flour, cocoa, and baking powder, helps make sure they're evenly distributed in the batter. Which honestly, I think is probably overrated, so I personally never bother with it.

What kind of sugar should I use?

You should use white granulated sugar, which is also called white sugar, granulated sugar, and table sugar.

If you live in the United Kingdom, you can use caster sugar instead.

You should not use powdered sugar, which is mostly used for dusting desserts and making frosting, icing, and glazes. But it is sometimes used to make fudge.

Do Eggs Need to Be at Room Temperature?

The short answer is "no."

While a lot of recipes call for room-temperature eggs, the difference is only noticeable if you do a side-by-side comparison, and even then, the difference is very slight.

Are Eggs Dairy?

No, eggs are not dairy.

Dairy is milk and any food products made from milk, including cheese, cream, butter, and yogurt.

So, while eggs are an animal product, they are not dairy.

Recipes like my pancakes without milk are dairy free, even though they contain eggs because they don't use milk or butter.

If this sounds like a silly question to you, you'd be surprised how many people think eggs are dairy because they're in the refrigerated section of the supermarket.

How Can I Tell if My Eggs Are Still Good?

Fill a glass with cool water and submerge the eggs.

If the eggs sink to the bottom and lay flat on their side, they're still fresh.

If they sink but stand on one end at the bottom of the glass, the eggs are older but still good to use.

If an egg floats to the top, it's very old and should be checked carefully for signs of spoilage before using.

Can I Make This Without Using Eggs?

I recommend you try my Eggless Pancakes. Or my Dairy Free Egg Free Pancakes and use dairy free buttermilk instead of water.

What Kind of Vanilla Should I Use?

There are several types of vanilla you can use in baking, including vanilla extract, imitation vanilla, vanilla paste, and vanilla beans.

For everyday baked goods like muffins, cakes, cookies, and quick breads, some options are more practical than others.

Vanilla Extract

Vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla beans in alcohol, which extracts the compounds responsible for their flavor. It is the most common type of vanilla used in baking.

When a recipe-including mine-calls for vanilla extract or simply says "vanilla," this is the type of vanilla that is generally being referred to.

Can I use imitation vanilla?

Imitation vanilla, also called artificial vanilla or vanilla essence, is considerably less expensive than pure vanilla extract and works well in everyday baked goods.

Since vanilla extract can be expensive, you can use imitation vanilla in my recipes without a problem.

Imitation vanilla can be used spoon for spoon in place of pure vanilla extract.

Though, keep in mind that some imitation vanillas are better than others, so if you can, try to use a good one.

Can I use vanilla paste?

Vanilla paste is a thick mixture containing vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract. Commercial vanilla pastes may also contain sweeteners, thickeners, or other ingredients.

It can generally be used in place of vanilla extract and leaves visible flecks of vanilla bean in your baked goods.

Vanilla paste can generally be substituted for vanilla extract spoon for spoon.

Can I use vanilla beans?

Vanilla beans are the pods of vanilla orchids. The seeds inside the pod can be scraped out and added directly to a recipe.

Vanilla beans are more expensive and less convenient than extract, so I wouldn't recommend them for everyday baking.

But if you want to, you can use about 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for each inch of vanilla bean called for in a recipe.

This is only an approximation, since vanilla beans vary in size and strength.

Can I use vanilla sugar?

Vanilla sugar is sugar that has been flavored with vanilla. It is particularly common in Europe and parts of the Middle East, including Israel.

It can be made by storing vanilla beans in sugar, mixing vanilla bean powder with sugar, or combining sugar with vanilla extract. Some countries also sell vanilla powdered sugar for use in confections.

You can substitute vanilla extract with vanilla sugar spoon for spoon.

How Should I Store Vanilla?

Keep vanilla extract and other vanilla products away from heat and direct light. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Can I use baking soda and baking powder interchangeably?

No. Even though baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents that make things rise, they work differently and aren't generally interchangeable.

When baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) is combined with acidic ingredients, it makes carbon dioxide. This helps batter or dough rise and gives baked goods a light, fluffy texture.

That's why baking soda is commonly used in recipes have acidic ingredients, like buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, or natural cocoa powder.

Baking soda is also roughly four times as powerful as baking powder, so you don't need a lot of it. Using too much can actually give your baked goods a bitter or metallic taste.

Baking soda needs enough acid to react with it, so substituting it for baking powder can leave things flat and tasting off.

Baking powder, on the other hand, is a combination of both baking soda and an acid, so it doesn't need an acidic ingredient in the recipe to create carbon dioxide.

This makes baking powder useful in recipes that don't have enough acidic ingredients to activate baking soda. For example, it's commonly used in recipes like matzo balls and biscuits.

Because baking powder is less powerful than baking soda, recipes generally call for more of it. So, if you try to use baking soda instead of baking powder, the texture won't come out right and the flavor will probably taste disgusting.

Why do some recipes call for both?

Some recipes use both baking soda and baking powder because they do slightly different things.

For example, my chocolate cake has enough acid for baking soda to react with it, but if you'd use enough baking soda to give the cake the lift it need, it would ruin the flavor and you'd have to throw the cake out.

So, instead of adding more baking soda, the recipe uses baking powder to give additional rise.

How can I tell if baking soda and baking powder are still good?

Both baking powder and baking soda can continue to be used well past their best by dates, but they become less potent over time and can eventually stop working altogether.

To test baking soda, pour 3 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar into a small bowl, add ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and stir. The mixture should rapidly bubble if the baking soda is still active.

To test baking powder, pour 3 tablespoons of warm water into a small bowl, add ½ teaspoon of baking powder, and stir. If the baking powder is still active, it should fizz.

Can i make it gluten free?

Or you can make my Gluten Free Dairy Free Pancakes and use dairy free buttermilk instead of water.

Or You can make my Oat Flour Pancakes.

Other Buttermilk Recipes made without Buttermilk

Other Breakfast Recipes You May like