Betty’s Buttermilk Pancakes -- The Meal That Says the Rules Are Suspended

Time passes. That's what it does. January becomes February, winter loosens its grip by degrees, and the world keeps turning even when you want it to stop. Clay goes to school. I go to work. Connie goes to the vet clinic. We eat dinner at the table. We don't talk about the Army every night because we can't — it would consume us — so we talk about the weather and the job and Amber's clinicals and Travis's landscaping work and we save the Army for the silences, which are longer now and hold more weight.

Amber and Clay made up. Amber called Clay on Wednesday and said "I'm sorry I yelled" and Clay said "I'm sorry I told you to mind your own business" and they both said "I love you" which is more emotional communication than the entire Hensley family has produced in the previous decade. Amber doesn't approve. She probably never will. But she loves Clay more than she disapproves, and in the Hensley hierarchy of values, love outranks opinion by a margin that is not close.

This week I want to write about something I haven't covered: breakfast for dinner. Specifically, Betty's pancakes. Because breakfast for dinner is the universal comfort meal — the meal that says "the rules are suspended, the hierarchy is inverted, the day starts over at six PM and we eat what we want."

Betty's pancakes: one and a half cups flour, two tablespoons sugar, one tablespoon baking powder, a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl: one egg, one cup of buttermilk, two tablespoons of melted butter. Combine wet and dry, stir just until mixed — lumps are fine, lumps are preferred, overmixing makes tough pancakes and tough pancakes are a moral failing. Ladle onto a hot, buttered griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set. Flip once. Once. Do not press. Do not flatten. Do not violate the pancake with a spatula. Let it be.

We had pancakes for dinner on Thursday. I made them on the griddle — eight at a time, golden brown, stacked on a platter in the oven to keep warm. Served with butter and real maple syrup (Connie insists on real maple syrup; Betty used Log Cabin and didn't apologize). Bacon on the side. Orange juice.

Clay ate nine pancakes. Nine. And two pieces of bacon and a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice. He is building mass for Basic. He is storing food the way a bear stores fat before winter. Except his winter is Fort Benning and the hibernation is ten weeks of people yelling at him while he runs and crawls and learns to be the thing his MOS says he will be. I made him pancakes. I will make him pancakes until the day he leaves and then I will make them every Thursday and put a plate at his place and eat mine alone and hope that somewhere, wherever he is, the Army is feeding him enough.

So here’s Betty’s recipe, written down proper, because I realized I’ve been telling you about it for months without giving you the actual measurements in a format you can print out and tape to your cabinet. Thursday night pancakes. Nine for Clay, three for me, the griddle still warm, the kitchen smelling like butter and something close to normal. Make these for the people you love while they’re still at your table.

Betty’s Buttermilk Pancakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 8 (about 16 pancakes)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• Butter for the griddle
• Real maple syrup, for serving
• Additional butter, for serving

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, then add the buttermilk and melted butter. Stir until combined.
3. Combine wet and dry. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined — lumps are fine. Lumps are preferred. Do not overmix. Overmixing makes tough pancakes and tough pancakes are a moral failing.
4. Heat the griddle. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Add a pat of butter and let it melt across the surface.
5. Cook the pancakes. Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Flip once. Flip each pancake once. Once. Do not press. Do not flatten. Do not violate the pancake with a spatula. Let it be. Cook until golden brown on the second side, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
7. Keep warm and serve. Transfer cooked pancakes to a platter in a 200°F oven to keep warm while you finish the remaining batches. Serve with butter and real maple syrup.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 145 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 280mg