American Flapjack Pancakes
When Americans say "flapjacks", this is what they mean — thick, cloud-soft buttermilk pancakes with a rich, nutty flavour from browned butter. The buttermilk reacts with bicarbonate of soda to give them extraordinary lightness; the browned butter adds depth that plain melted butter cannot touch. Stack them high, drown them in maple syrup.
Ingredients
- 200g (1½ cups)plain flour
- 1½ tspbaking powder
- ½ tspbicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbspcaster sugar
- ½ tspfine salt
- 300ml (1¼ cups)buttermilk, If you don't have buttermilk, stir 1 tbsp lemon juice into 300ml whole milk and leave for 5 minutes
- 2 largeeggs
- 50g (3½ tbsp)unsalted butter, For browning — plus extra for cooking
- 1 tspvanilla extract
Method
- 1
Brown the butter: melt the 50g butter in a small light-coloured saucepan over medium heat. Swirl occasionally. The butter will foam, then the foam will subside, and the milk solids at the bottom will turn a deep golden brown and smell nutty — about 4 minutes. Pour immediately into a small bowl and leave to cool.
Use a light-coloured pan so you can see the colour of the butter clearly. It goes from golden to burnt very quickly; watch it carefully. - 2
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
- 3
In a jug, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, cooled browned butter, and vanilla.
- 4
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix — lumps are correct. Rest the batter for 5 minutes.
The resting time activates the raising agents; you will see the batter become slightly airy and bubbly on the surface. - 5
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add a small knob of butter and swirl to coat. Medium-low is correct here — buttermilk pancakes benefit from gentle, even heat.
- 6
Pour approximately 80ml (⅓ cup) of batter per flapjack. Cook until bubbles appear across most of the surface and the edges look set and matte, about 2–3 minutes.
- 7
Flip once, gently, and cook for a further 1–2 minutes until the underside is golden and the centre is cooked through. The flapjack should feel springy, not soft, when pressed.
- 8
Serve immediately in a tall stack with maple syrup and cold butter. The contrast between the warm flapjacks, cold butter, and cool syrup is part of the experience.
Pro Tips
- →Browned butter is the secret — it adds a nutty, caramelised depth that plain melted butter cannot. Do not skip this step.
- →Buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda is a more reactive combination than milk and baking powder alone, which is why these flapjacks are especially tall and light.
- →For dairy-free flapjacks, use plant-based buttermilk (plant milk + lemon juice) and vegan butter. The result is slightly less rich but still very good.
Topping Ideas
Terms in this recipe
Defined in the Pancake Day glossary.
Questions & answers
Are flapjacks the same as pancakes in America?⌄
What does brown butter do in pancakes?⌄
What can I use instead of buttermilk?⌄
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