I haven’t seen my Uncle Dennis (but we call him Denny) in years, but he’s got a winning pancake recipe that makes me think of him often. Years ago he cooked up some of these wonders when we all gathered in remote Ely, Nevada for my grandmother’s funeral. They were a hit with all of us, and my family has been making this recipe ever since.
My mom likes to add in bananas, Dad likes blueberries, and my dear friend Heather always threw in chocolate chips when we made them in college. I prefer to pour batter on the hot griddle and then add something in, rather than mixing it into the batter in the bowl. But that’s just me.
We even made Uncle Denny’s pancakes while camping in Tahoe by mixing all of the dry ingredients together at home and then packing the butter, eggs and buttermilk in the cooler.
Just recently I substituted one cup of whole wheat flour for the all-purpose, white flour, and I dare say that the pancakes turned out even better. Uncle Denny’s recipe doesn’t call for vanilla extract, but isn’t just about everything more tasty with a little vanilla?
The rise time for pancakes is what really makes them light. Try to give the batter at least ten minutes, and if you’ve got twenty, well, that’s even better!
One more thing: if you’ve got left over pancakes, listen up! Instead of tossing them into the trash like frisbees, put a little butter and syrup on them, let that soak in and then place the pancakes into a Ziploc bag. They can hang out in your freezer until ready to eat. At that point, they’ll need maybe 20 seconds in the microwave and then finish off in the toaster. WAY better (and healthier and cheaper) than anything Eggo or anybody else makes, that’s for sure!
Uncle Denny’s Pancakes
printer friendly recipe
2 cups of all-purpose flour (or substitute 1 cup of whole wheat flour)
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1-2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs lightly and whisk in buttermilk, butter and vanilla. Combine with dry ingredients. Mix only until moist. Let rise 10-15 minutes.
Double Batch 
