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Tag: breakfast

Buttermilk Pancakes from Scratch

October 22, 2026 /

Saturday morning pancakes are a tradition worth keeping.

Quick answer Whisk 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk 2 cups buttermilk, 1 or 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Stir together until just combined (lumps are fine), rest 10 to 15 minutes, and cook 1/4 cup at a time on a medium-hot griddle until bubbles form, then flip.
Buttermilk Pancakes from Scratch
Photo: Mae Mu / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 or 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus butter or oil for the pan
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions

  1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Mix the wet: whisk the egg(s), then the buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla, in another bowl.
  3. Combine by pouring the wet into the dry and stirring just until mixed. Some lumps are fine; overmixing makes flat, tough pancakes.
  4. Rest the batter 10 to 15 minutes. If it’s too thick to pour, thin with a little more buttermilk.
  5. Heat the pan. Heat a skillet over medium (or medium-low for cast iron) or a griddle to about 350°F, until a drop of water skitters across it. Grease lightly.
  6. Cook 1/4 cup of batter per pancake until bubbles form on top and the bottom is golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
  7. Serve right away, or keep warm in a 200°F oven while you finish the batch.
Safety: Keep kids back from the hot griddle and the handle turned in.

Tips

Leftovers freeze well. Freeze them the same day and reheat in a low oven or the toaster.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

October 22, 2026 /

Biscuits and gravy is about as close to perfect as breakfast gets.

Quick answer Biscuits: 2 cups flour, baking powder, a little soda and salt, cold butter worked in, 3/4 cup buttermilk; pat, fold, cut, and bake at 450°F about 15 minutes. Gravy: brown 1 pound of bulk sausage, stir 1/4 cup flour into the drippings, whisk in 2 cups of milk, simmer until thick, and pepper it generously. Makes about 8 biscuits; serves 4.
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Photo: jeffreyw / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Ingredients

  • Biscuits: 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
  • 6 to 7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced
  • 3/4 cup cold buttermilk, plus a little for brushing
  • Gravy: 1 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • Salt and plenty of black pepper

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients for the biscuits in a bowl. Work in the cold butter with your fingertips until there are still pea-size pieces. Those make the flaky layers.
  3. Add the buttermilk and stir just until a shaggy dough forms. Don’t overwork it.
  4. Pat and fold. On a floured board, pat the dough into a rectangle, fold it in thirds like a letter, and pat it out about 3/4 inch thick.
  5. Cut rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter and set them on the pan, close together for soft sides or an inch apart for crisp ones. Press the scraps together and cut more. Brush the tops with buttermilk.
  6. Bake about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
  7. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat, breaking it up, until no pink remains (160°F).
  8. Make the roux. Leave about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan with the sausage (pour off extra). Sprinkle in the flour and stir it around about 3 minutes.
  9. Add milk a little at a time, whisking, and scrape up the browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook a few minutes until thick. Thin with a splash more milk if needed.
  10. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Split the biscuits and spoon the gravy over.
Safety: Cook pork sausage to 160°F. Keep little hands back from the hot skillet and grease.

Tips

Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it; scooping packs it in and makes dry biscuits. Lightly browned is the goal, not dark.

Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs (Printable)

October 22, 2026 /

This is my go-to way to make hard-boiled eggs. Simple, and it just works.

Quick answer Put the eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water by an inch. Bring it to a boil, take it off the heat, cover, and let them stand 12 minutes for large eggs (15 for extra-large). Then put them straight into ice water for about 10 minutes.
Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs (Printable)
Photo: 3steph14 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tools & materials

  • Eggs (large)
  • Saucepan with lid
  • Bowl of ice water
  • Slotted spoon

Steps

  1. Lay the eggs in a single layer in the pot. Add cold water to cover by about 1 inch.
  2. Bring to a full boil over high heat.
  3. Turn off the heat, cover, and set a timer: 12 minutes for large eggs, 15 for extra-large.
  4. Move the eggs to ice water (or run cold water over them) and chill about 10 minutes.
  5. To peel, crack all over on the counter and start at the wide end where the air pocket is. Peeling under running water helps.
Safety: Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs within 2 hours and use them within a week.

Why it works

Coasting in hot water instead of hard-boiling cooks the eggs evenly without the green-gray ring around the yolk. The ice bath stops the cooking.

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