• If you don’t have buttermilk, sub regular milk or make your own homemade buttermilk by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (or vinegar) to a liquid measuring cup, then pour in enough milk until it reaches the 3/4 cup mark. Stir and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. It will curdle and that’s normal. It’s because the acid interacts with and unravels the milk’s proteins.
• You don’t have to separate the egg yolks and egg whites if you don’t want to. The pancakes will still be soft and fluffy. I have a small coil spring whisk that makes whisking egg whites (even a single white) really fast and easy so I like to go ahead with this extra step. But even if you just add the whole eggs to the batter, I promise the pancakes will be delicious…here’s proof!
• When whipping egg whites to soft or stiff peaks you must have a totally grease-free clean bowl and whisk.  Using a stainless steel, copper, or glass bowl works best because unlike plastic bowls these materials are non-porous and don’t hold on to oil or fat that may keep egg whites from whipping up properly. Also, do not use the same whisk you used for mixing the egg mixture to whip your egg whites unless you’ve washed and dried it first.
• If you’re trying to eat fewer carbs or use less white flour in general make whole wheat pumpkin pancakes, substitute whole wheat white flour, or 100% whole wheat flour for the all-purpose. I do this occasionally and the pancakes are super tasty. They have a bit of a nutty flavor and only a very slightly different texture, but they are still really light and fluffy.

PUMPKIN SPICE PANCAKE 2X RECIPE 

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or 00 flour) (250g) 
• 3/4 cup pumpkin purée (or canned pumpkin) (200g) 
• 3 teaspoons baking powder (14g)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (0.5g)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (2g)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (30g)
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (6g)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature (365g) *see recipe notes for making an easy buttermilk substitute. 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (5g)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (50g)
• 4 large eggs, room temperature (200g)

Techniques For Making Better Pancakes From Scratch (Above in Photos)

In the above photographs, you can see the techniques I use to make better (light and fluffy) pancakes at home. Using these guidelines will guarantee better homemade pancakes.

Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature ingredients speed up the chemical reactions taking place between the ingredients, and also help create larger air bubbles that get trapped by the batter during the cooking process which equals a fluffier pancake.

Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and oil (or butter if called for) together before adding it to the dry flour mixture. This helps avoid over-mixing the batter once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Overmixing can lead to dense chewy pancakes.

Use a fork or rubber spatula to gently stir or fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients instead of using a whisk. This can help you make sure not to overmix the batter which can overwork the gluten and produce dense pancakes.

While not totally necessary, the addition of a stiffly beaten egg white (or two) gently folded into the batter can help give a little extra lift to pancakes. Using a totally clean and grease-free coil spring whisk makes this task extremely quick and easy.

Always remember a thicker batter = a thicker pancake. If you want a slightly thicker pancake than what’s pictured in this recipe, add a bit less milk. For a thinner pancake, use a little more milk.

Let the batter rest*. Letting the pancake batter rest for a few minutes (or up to 45 minutes in the fridge) allows the gluten in the flour to relax and the starch grains to swell which helps make tender fluffy pancakes. *Full disclosure, often only let the batter rest 2 to 3 minutes and they’re always fluffy and tender. So, if you’re a busy Mom, Dad, or caregiver who can’t be bothered with resting the batter, don’t. 

Make sure baking powder and baking soda (if using) are both fresh and not expired. Expired leavening agents lead to Flat Stanely pancakes. I like to use a combination of baking powder and baking soda when I make buttermilk pancakes. It makes a super fluffy (angel soft) pancake. But if you don’t have baking soda you can simply omit it.

Use buttermilk or a buttermilk substitute. Buttermilk is key to the best-tasting pancakes in my opinion and the acid in it helps create a fluffier pancake too. If you don’t have it, make an easy substitute by adding fresh lemon juice (or vinegar) to the milk and letting it stand for 5-10 minutes. *See recipe notes for exact measurements needed for a faux buttermilk recipe.