Golden Diner Pancake Recipe
via NYT Cooking
Ingredients Yield:4 to 6 large pancakes with toppings (3 to 6 servings)
For the Pancake Batter
2¼teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast (one ¼-ounce packet)
2cups/260 grams all-purpose flour, divided
1¼cups/300 grams buttermilk
2tablespoons sugarg
¾teaspoon baking soda
½teaspoon fine salt
2large eggs
¼cup/60 grams canola oil or other neutral-tasting oil
For the Maple-honey Butter
½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, softened
3tablespoons honey
2tablespoons pure maple syrup
¾teaspoon fine salt
For the Maple-honey Syrup
½cup/113 grams unsalted butter
⅓cup/100 grams honey
1½tablespoons maple syrup
1teaspoon soy sauce
½teaspoon fine salt
For the Berry Compote
14ounces/400 grams mixed berries, such as blueberries, raspberries and stemmed strawberries, cut to the same size as the small berries
⅓cup/67 grams sugar
1½teaspoons cornstarch
Preparation
Step 1
Start the pancake batter: In a small bowl, whisk the yeast with 1 cup flour. In a small saucepan, heat the buttermilk with ¼ cup/60 grams water over medium-low heat, stirring often, until lukewarm (about 100 degrees), about 5 minutes. Pour the buttermilk into the flour and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour to create a pre-ferment. This will give the pancakes a deeper flavor and some additional rise.
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the maple-honey butter: In a medium bowl, whisk the butter, honey, syrup and salt until smooth. Keep at room temperature if using within a few hours. Otherwise, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Soften the butter and whisk it again before serving.
Step 3
Make the maple-honey syrup: Combine the butter, honey, syrup, soy sauce and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, whisking often, until the butter melts completely. While whisking, add 1 ½ tablespoons water. Keep whisking until emulsified, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep warm.
Step 4
Make the berry compote: In a large bowl, gently mix the berries, sugar and cornstarch until the berries are evenly coated. Heat a large, deep skillet over high until very hot. A drop of water sprinkled on the pan should immediately sizzle away. Add the berry mixture and cook, stirring once in a while, until the blueberries look like they’re about to pop, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Step 5
Finish the pancakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Set a metal rack in a sheet pan and place on the center oven rack.
Step 6
After the pre-ferment has proofed for an hour, whisk the remaining 1 cup flour with the sugar, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and oil until smooth. Scrape the pre-ferment into the egg mixture, then add the dry ingredients. Gently stir with the whisk until no traces of dry ingredients remain. It’s OK if the batter is lumpy.
Step 7
Heat one or two 7- to 8-inch nonstick skillets (5- to 6- inches across the bottom) or extremely well-seasoned cast-iron pans over medium until very hot. Nonstick works best because you won’t be greasing the pans at all. Fill each pan with batter to about ⅓-inch depth. Smooth the top to ensure the batter reaches the edges of the pan and forms a nice round. Cook until the bottom is crisp and evenly golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes, turning down the heat if the bottom browns too quickly. Flip and cook until the other side crisps and browns evenly, 1 to 3 minutes, tucking in the edges to give the pancake a nice dome.
Step 8
Transfer the pancake from the skillet to the rack-lined pan in the oven for the centers to cook through, 2 to 5 minutes. To check, poke a paring knife in the middle and peek to see if any wet batter remains. Repeat with the remaining batter, reheating the pan between pancakes. You can serve the pancakes as they’re done or keep the earlier batches in the oven until all of the pancakes are ready.
Step 9
To serve, center one or two hot pancakes on serving plates and evenly drench with the maple-honey syrup right away. Spoon the berry compote on top, then scoop maple-honey butter over the berries (see Tip). Serve immediately.
Tip
At Golden Diner, the butter is formed into the football shape known as quenelles. You can do the same if you want: Use one spoon to scoop a round of soft maple-honey butter along its long side, then run another spoon of the same size against the first spoon to shape the butter into a football.