Easy

Bacon and Maple Syrup Pancake Stack

Prep 10 minsCook 15 minsServes 4£1.85/servingAmerican Stack

This is the stack that earns its reputation. Thick, cloud-soft buttermilk pancakes, crispy streaky bacon that shatters when you cut through it, and real maple syrup — not pancake syrup, real maple — pooling into every crevice. The knob of salted butter on top is not optional. It melts into the syrup and creates a sauce, and it is what ties the whole thing together.

Bacon and Maple Syrup Pancake Stack — american stack pancake recipe served on a plate, photographed from above

Ingredients

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Method

  1. 1

    Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.

  2. 2

    In a jug, whisk together the buttermilk, beaten eggs, and melted butter. Pour into the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula — about ten strokes. Stop well before the batter looks smooth. It should look rough and lumpy. Rest for 5 minutes while you start the bacon.

    Overmixing develops gluten and makes the pancakes flat and tough. Ten folds, no more.
  3. 3

    Lay the bacon rashers in a cold frying pan over medium-high heat, or arrange on a baking tray under a medium grill. Cook until the fat is fully rendered and the rashers are genuinely crispy — about 3–4 minutes per side in the pan, or 8–10 minutes under the grill. Keep warm on a plate in a low oven (100°C).

    Starting bacon in a cold pan allows the fat to render slowly, giving a crispier result than a preheated pan.
  4. 4

    Heat a separate non-stick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Add a small knob of unsalted butter and let it melt without browning. The surface should be warm but not smoking.

    Too hot and the outsides brown before the centres set. Medium heat is correct for American-style pancakes.
  5. 5

    Drop batter in rounds of about 10cm — roughly two large spoonfuls each. Cook until bubbles form across the entire surface and the edges look set and dry, about 2–3 minutes. Flip once and cook for a further 1–2 minutes until golden on the underside.

    Flip only once. Repeated flipping deflates the pancakes.
  6. 6

    Keep cooked pancakes warm in the low oven while you work through the remaining batter. This recipe makes about 12 pancakes.

  7. 7

    Stack 3 pancakes per person. Place the salted butter on top of the warm stack and let it melt slightly. Lay 2 rashers of crispy bacon across the stack, then pour maple syrup over from a height. Serve immediately.

    Pour the maple syrup from height — it distributes more evenly and looks far better than spooning it on.

Pro Tips

  • →Do not overmix the batter. This is the one rule for American pancakes. Ten gentle folds with a spatula, then stop. Lumps are correct and essential.
  • →Real maple syrup only. The difference between maple syrup and pancake syrup is dramatic — real maple is nuanced, complex, and not cloying. Buy Grade A Dark or Amber for the strongest flavour.
  • →The salted butter on top is not decoration. It melts into the maple syrup and creates a sauce that ties bacon, syrup and pancake into a single thing.
  • →Start the bacon first in a cold pan. It takes longer than the pancakes and you want everything ready at the same time.
  • →If you cannot find buttermilk: add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar to 300ml of full-fat milk, stir, and rest for 5 minutes. It curdles slightly — that is correct.

Topping Ideas

Crispy pancetta instead of streaky bacon for a more Italian characterA sliced banana tucked alongside the bacon for sweet-savoury contrastA fried egg on top of the stack — the broken yolk becomes part of the saucePecan halves toasted in a dry pan, scattered over the maple syrup

Terms in this recipe

ButtermilkBaking powderHotcakeFlapjack

Defined in the Pancake Day glossary.

Questions & answers

Why are my American pancakes flat instead of fluffy?⌄
Flat American pancakes are almost always the result of overmixing. The batter should look rough and lumpy when you stop stirring — if it looks smooth, you have gone too far. Overmixing develops gluten and deflates the lift from the baking powder. Mix gently, rest the batter briefly, and cook over medium rather than high heat.
Can I use streaky bacon from any supermarket?⌄
Yes. Any supermarket streaky bacon works well — the key is cooking it until it is genuinely crispy, not just cooked through. Soft bacon on a fluffy stack is a textural mismatch. Cook it until the fat is fully rendered and the rashers hold their shape when lifted.
How do I make buttermilk pancakes without buttermilk?⌄
Add one tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar to 300ml of full-fat milk, stir briefly, and leave for 5 minutes. The milk will curdle slightly — this is the point. The acidity mimics buttermilk and reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to give the same lift in the finished pancake.
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