Once you try this easy, oven-baked skillet pancake, you’ll never go back to flipping them on the stovetop again!
For years, I’ve faced a serious pancake dilemma: I love to eat them, but I hate to make them. Are you with me?
It takes for-ever to cook all the batter, and by the time the last pancake is finally done, the first one is tacky and cold. Plus, mine never come out like they’re supposed to. Instead of perfectly round and fluffy, they’re always misshapen and a little thin, and not nearly golden-brown enough.
I just don’t need that kind of stress first thing in the morning, so I almost never made pancakes at home. Seriously, I think I can remember two times in the past five years: once when I was reviewing a fancy mix for Serious Eats, and once when it was a snow day and there was nothing else to do or to eat.
But last week I discovered oven-baked skillet pancakes, and my mind was officially blown. One giant pancake big enough to feed my whole family, and that cooks all by itself while I enjoy my coffee? Sign. Me. Up. This might be the only breakfast I eat from now on.
Are you skeptical? I was too, at first. But let me assure you, a skillet pancake is every bit as carby, sweet, and satisfying as a towering stack of regular pancakes. We gobbled the entire thing up and couldn’t stop remarking on how much it tasted like a “real” pancake: slightly spongy and cakey, with hints of melted butter, sugar, and tangy buttermilk.
You could definitely serve this with plain maple syrup, but we had a bunch of blueberries in the fridge so I whipped up a quick and simple homemade blueberry sauce. It takes about 10 minutes to make, so you have time to throw it together while the pancake is in the oven, but you can also make it up a week in advance and stash it in the fridge. But be forewarned: it might disappear fast. It’s also delicious on ice cream, stirred into yogurt, or even on top of grilled chicken.
I was honestly a little hesitant to post this recipe today. I’m not in love with how the photos came out, and once I made this version, I kept thinking of more (better!) skillet pancake ideas. Graham cracker! M&M! Chocolate-swirl! Zucchini! But in the end I decided to go ahead and publish it. It was just too delicious not too share with you guys immediately. And…there’s always room for more pancakes, right?
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (or whole milk)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon not melted
- Blueberry Sauce (recipe follows)
- Blueberries, confectioners' sugar, and toasted almonds, for serving
- 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 strips lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the pancake: place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a measuring cup, beat the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined. Remove the skillet from the oven and add the remaining tablespoon of butter, swirling to coat. Pour in the batter and smooth with a spatula. Bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar, sprinkle with almonds and blueberries, and serve with the blueberry sauce.
- To make the blueberry sauce, combine the blueberries, maple syrup, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the blueberries have burst, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and return to a boil. (Sauce will immediately thicken.) Remove from the heat and discard the lemon zest. Stir in the vanilla extract. (Blueberry sauce can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge.)
Anne says
This skillet pancake is definitely calling my name!!! Blueberry sauce, plus I don’t have to stand there flipping pancakes -so many pluses to this recipe!!
Linda @ 2 Cookin Mamas says
This sounds like the best solution to everyone being able to eat breakfast at the same time. Fantastic idea! And your photos look great – makes me want to make them tomorrow. 🙂 And I’ve got some peaches in the fridge to make a nice peach sauce. Yum!