Minneapolis Salted Butter Pancakes
When it comes to pancakes, I tend to stick with the basic styles — buttermilk, Bisquick, banana — and my general take is that if you don’t over-mix and you keep an eye on your burner, you’ll be great. Before parenthood, I’d sometimes get excited about a recipe with beaten egg whites, or one of those giant pancakes you bake in the oven for like two hours. But these days, I’m not trying to impress anyone; I just want breakfast.
I tell you all this so you know that I mean it when I say these pancakes are genuinely special. The recipe comes from Tanya Bush, who shared the origin story in her new narrative cookbook, Will This Make You Happy.
“Ideal Diner in Minneapolis serves the perfect pancake, with crispy edges and a custardy center,” she writes. “They’re designed to be drowned in maple syrup — and perfectly salty. I spent years desperately trying to recreate them.”
Tanya’s recipe is as easy and straightforward as any pancake, but it has a couple tweaks. First, malted milk powder — just a teaspoon. “It gives the pancakes a toasted flavor,” Tanya told me. “And a nostalgic depth and richness.” I love this addition and was pleasantly surprised to find malt right there in the breakfast aisle of the grocery store. Second, she fries her pancakes in ghee or clarified butter. It has a higher smoke point than regular butter — which is how you can get those crispy edges without ruining breakfast with a burnt-butter flavor. I don’t know how I got this far in my pancake-making life without realizing this, but it’s a game-changer.
Even if you, like me, have become set in your pancake ways, do yourself a favor and quit being a curmudgeon for just 10 minutes, because that’s all it takes to get these on a plate.
Salted Butter Pancakes
from Will This Make You Happy by Tanya Bush
Makes 6-10 pancakes
125g (1 cup plus 1 1/2 tsps) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp malted milk powder
113g (1/2 cup) salted butter, melted, plus more at room temperature, for serving
118g (scant 1/2 cup) whole milk, at room temperature
100g (1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp) whole milk buttermilk, at room temperature
100g (2 large) eggs
Scant 2 tbsps maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
Ghee or clarified butter*, for frying
Note: If you prefer to make your own clarified butter, here’s a simple method.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and malted milk powder. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, buttermilk, eggs, and maple syrup.
Add the flour mixture to the milk-egg mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
In a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 teaspoon of ghee. When the pan is hot, add 60 grams (a heaping 1/4 cup) of the pancake batter to the skillet. (Use less batter if you prefer a smaller pancake.) Cook until the edges start to set and holes appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the edges are crispy and golden brown, 1-2 minutes more. (The pancake should be cooked through; cut into the first one to check.) Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more ghee between each pancake as needed if the skillet looks dry. If you are not serving the pancakes immediately, keep them warm in the oven at 200°F (95°C).
Serve the pancakes with a pat of butter and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
Thanks so much for breakfast, Tanya!
P.S.Overnight baked French toast, the formula for a perfect brunch, and zucchini muffins for school mornings.
(Photos by Tanya Bush.)
Tags: breakfast recipes
Comments
72 commentsI made these! Malt powder I have and love, but grabbed some gee from Trader Joe’s. Really liked them and plan to make them my go-to pancakes (until I can one day crack a local diner’s that I have an affinity for). Had to sub in low fat buttermilk, but still delicious and generously applied salted butter was a must!
Awesome! Thanks for reporting back, Susan!!
Made these pancakes this morning, son visiting-son approved. Lemon curd drizzle.
I’ve become a weekday morning pancake person, and the game changer tip for me was that you don’t need to grease or butter a nonstick pan to make one quick serving of pancakes. So now, rather than eating the first, weird pancake, the first and only pancake is good every time! Obviously, fried in butter is superior, but for weekday pancakes, this does the trick.
Yes!!!! Ideal Diner is the greatest! Thank you for this!!!!
Rosalie, I live two miles from Ideal Diner and pass by almost daily but have never been in…now I plan to go and will for sure be wondering who there is a fellow CoJ reader!
Thank, Hillary! I thought it might be Zoe Francois. Maybe we need a roundup of cookbook women with the hair! :)
Ha! Could be a long list!
looks delicious, and I think I’d like a t-shirt that says “quit being a curmudgeon for just 10 minutes”.
Same! ❤️
Came here to say the same thing!
Ahhh, pancakes. My mom made really good ones growing up. My dad used to love them when *brown* (beef) gravy, and he always called them hot cakes. It’s better than you think! When my girls were little they always asked for breakfast out at our favorite dinner, Soby’s, Minnie Mouse pancakes the size of a plate with skittles to make the face and whipped cream too. We still eat pancakes for dinner or Sunday breakfast all the time. Huckleberry, or sourdough, or chocolate chip or banana or pb or a combo of those. A little oat flour mixed in tastes really good. Pancakes just feel like love.
Sourdough pancakes are the best. I’ve never had huckleberry pancakes but I bet those are amazing!
Well, this post made my whole dang day. Ideal Diner is one of my favorite spots in Minneapolis. I was a weekly regular for years when living in the area. I would often make new friends by sharing my pancakes with people who were dining for the first time. I did it so much the cook would say to the customers: “We swear we don’t pay her to do this”. They didn’t. These pancakes and that diner is a damn gem….. And their motto is “Where regular people are special and special people are regular.” Hugs and love from MN! (message me if you wanna meet at Ideal)
I love this!!
Heck yeah let’s meet up at Ideal!
I’ll be in MN April 2 and 3. Want to meet up at Ideal? I’m writing a children’s book and will be in town to present my book at a huge library conference! I’m @chatham_rabbits on IG :)
This looks incredible! It would be amazing if you could feature a dairy-free or gluten-free cookbook/recipe sometime. I’m sure you have and this is not a complaint, just a mention of interest.
2nd this Katie. We have multiple allergies in my family, dairy and nuts the biggest ones. We just sub the dairy milk for oak milk and flour for GF flour (when needed re GF).
I honestly think it’s easier for an experienced gluten free baker to sub from a standard recipe than it would be for someone unused to gluten free flours to even find the things I use regularly—sorghum, teff, mochiko, xanthan hum, potato starch, buckwheat. That said, Aran Goyoaga is the gold standard. The pretzels from her gluten free bread book are incredible. I love thinking about the flavor profile of the flours I’m using and for pancakes I usually do oat/sorghum and whatever AP flour I need to use up.
These look good, but the recipe is odd. It has a TON of baking powder for a small amount of flour. And it uses baking powder with buttermilk, rather than powder and a mix of baking soda. My go to pancake recipe uses a ratio of 1 tsp baking powder with 1 cup of flour. If I decide to use something acidic instead of milk (like yogurt or buttermilk), I usually back off the powder and replace with some baking soda. Too much leavener can burn your mouth and leave a bad taste (maybe that’s why she added malted milk powder? to cover the taste?) Also, it doesn’t sound like these are supposed to be too fluffy. That’s just strange. But I do like the idea of using clarified butter to fry and salted butter for flavor.
I had the same thought, that is a lot of baking powder! I wonder if that’s a typo? If it’s not and someone has successfully made them, please report back! Because they look deeelicious and I love anything with malted milk powder.
Hey! Just to clarify, it’s not a typo! I think the batter needs a little more lift than most, because of the volume of liquid and “heavy” ingredients (which make for the custardy texture). I’ve noticed this on some other more dense pancake recipes, like Smitten Kitchen’s banana-oat pancakes (which calls for a tablespoon).
Man, I have the hardest time succeeding with pancakes between burning vs raw in the middle. I tend to default to waffles these days. But this makes me want to try again…
I am with you! I love love love pancakes and I’m usually a fairly decent cook but I have never succeeded at making outstanding pancakes. I have never once achieved that beautiful golden brown in the article’s photo.
salted butter makes everything better (would like that embroidered on a pillow, please :-)
When my daughter was 2 we had to fill out a get-to-know-me chart for daycare. When I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up she said, “buttered bread!” I wrote it down and put a photo of her face on a picture of buttered bread. It still hangs proudly on our fridge. Everyone who visits loves it. Maybe I should move it to a frame. Haha
Katie, I laughed so hard I cried. I would like to be BFFS with your kid, because, BIG SAME. (and yes, frame it! frame it!)
Question for Tanya, if you happen to be reading (or for any wise bakers/cooks out there): any suggestions for the best egg substitute to use in this recipe? These pancakes look incredible, and I’d love to make them for my family, but my daughter is allergic to eggs. Thank you.
If you all eat dairy, I make ricotta pancakes without eggs and they work well. with the baking soda and baking powder, the ricotta pancakes rise just fine. I had this recipe on my counter, but didn’t use lemon juice and vanilla. I had leftover orange blossom water and used that for flavoring. Then I sprinkled them with crushed pistachios and maple syrup. They were light and fluffy and easy peasy. https://noeggrecipes.com/eggless-lemon-ricotta-pancakes/
I’m a big fan of the flax seed sub: 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed (or flax meal) with 3 tbsp of water
Thank you, Kay! I also have a little one allergic to eggs and while we’re hoping he’ll continue to grow out of it, he’s getting old enough to know he’s missing out on pancakes… These look so good!
@Lar, my son was allergic to eggs for years and we used Birchblender pancakes (found at Whole Foods) which do not call for eggs. He’s finally free of his allergy following a years-long (but worthwhile) immunotherapy program with an allergist and can eggs freely but Birchblender to the rescue for non-egg pancakes!
The secret to tender pancakes is enough acid in the batter. Buttermilk helps, but I’d definitely add a few tablespoons of lemon juice or sub in half a cup of OJ for the milk if I were making this recipe.
Ok, now I have to try that diner and I’m not even that fond of pancakes. But… I am meeting my besties in Minneapolis/St. Paul in a few weeks. They arrive on early flights. Tell me, Twin Cities readers, where should we go for brunch? Tasty, local, won’t break the bank, and good atmosphere for girl friends who haven’t seen each other in too long and need to catch up???
It’s very kitschy but my girlfriends and I loveeeee Hi-Lo Diner on Lake Street. Cafe Alma if you’re looking for something really good, homemade, and the exact opposite of kitsch.
Alma! Or if it’s nice out, the patio at Colossal Cafe would be nice.
French Meadow!
Tongue in Cheek in St. Paul. Hands down! Spectacular. (I live in St. Paul and have for the last 12 years.)
Oh my goodness… you all have provided restaurant ideas for our entire weekend! Thank you so much! I’m going to spend the rest of the next two weeks drooling in anticipation!
If you can get a reservation, Diane’s Place in NE Minneapolis is spectacular! Whether for brunch or any other meal, and their pastries are incredible to boot.
Agree with Diane’s Place for sure if you can get a reservation — the perfect place for a friends brunch. Also love Alma, Standish Cafe (small neighborhood place), and May Day Cafe (hippie feel, delicious food). Hi-Lo is also great!
Hot plate!! Great brekkie and very kitschy decor.
I so appreciate the love for the Twin Cities that continues here! My favorite pancake is the buckwheat cake from Day By Day Cafe in St Paul. The patio is one of the best around….
I love my buttermilk pancake recipe but also love this cookbook title. Maybe it will be at my library someday to page through.
Sometimes I get a cookbook from the library and I like it so much that I buy it. I call that a “library fail,” haha.
Yummy! Pancakes haven’t been in my repertoire but this recipe may change things. A side note: Have any COJ readers had experience with Field Co. cast iron skillets? I’m dedicated to avoiding other forms of non-stick pans but my cast iron has bumpy surfaces and isn’t as non-stick as I’d like. Field Co. looks better but is pricy…
Ok this is really dedicated and quite over the top but hey, go me haha! On the advice of a chef, I took my husband’s orbital sander (rentable at home depot) and sanded down those Lodge bumps. Then I re-seasoned it and it works beautifully now.
we have them (in two sizes!) and love them! they’ve held up beautifully for the past three years and we use them nearly every day.
I know this isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but please forgive me, I’m a lifelong Lodge fan—using a Lodge skillet regularly with *metal* spatulas usually does the trick to smooth it down into a glassy, nonstick surface! But cast iron is also never going to be as perfectly nonstick as teflon, and that’s just the tradeoff (worth it IMO). If you’re looking for a smooth nonstick surface in the short term, my other pro tip is that World Market sells enameled cast iron for a fraction of Le Creuset’s prices.
Not Field Co. but I highly recommend ScanPan cookware (https://www.scanpan.com/cookware.html?srsltid=AfmBOorOU1bly8a0hlKdhkNKJfRLswmlCNOu-zdAbyTI2EgCOT02SJ4E) frying pans. Non-stick, non-toxic and even after 7 years almost daily use (including two young people who like to fry things) in pretty great shape. Not cheap but durable, made in Denmark), Sur La Table has often sales on those, that’s where I got mine. Work also very well with induction cooktops.
I have a lodge that isn’t perfectly smooth on the bottom, but is still non stick as long as I heat the pan before adding anything. I have a vintage skillet in a different size that’s perfectly smooth that I absolutely love. They changed the process they use to make cast iron skillets in the early 50s, so anything made after is going to have a little texture to it. Highly recommend buying vintage!
Most of my cast irons are culled from thrift shops, but my every day favorite one I actually found on top of a trash can here in San Francisco. This isn’t an answer to your question, but you may want to check your local shops to see what’s available. And yes, properly seasoned/maintained, they are fairly non-stick.
Carbonized steel is a nonstick alternative. OXO has ones that are $40. You treat them like a lodge pan, but they are slick.
Even if it’s bumpy, every cast iron pan is nonstick as long as you get it hot before adding the fat and let the fat get hot before adding anything else.
Jeanne- I did the same thing with my Lodge! I realized that the “seasoning” that I thought I was building up was actually flaky carbonized organic matter that made everything stickier, so I got a few different sanding discs and got to it. Not only did I remove the gunk, but the iron became smoothed out too. Now, it looks kind of iridescent and is perfectly egg resistant after re-seasoning in the oven with some canola oil. Word of caution: do this outdoors in clothes you no longer want to wear ever again. I made more greasy metal soot dust than I thought possible. Ok, I probably just convinced everyone to never do this. But, try it! I’m sorry in advance. The pan is great.
Thanks for introducing me to Field Co. Might be a future holiday gift for me or my spouse! On a similar note, does anyone have experience with Smithey cast iron? Their pans are so beautiful, but soooo pricey! I’m not an advanced cast iron user, but I have had the Great Jones King Sear pan for a couple of years now, and it has become one of my favorite pans to cook with. Perfect for pan pizza, pancakes, etc. Its giant, shallow, with straight walled sides. Highly recommend. xo
I’m beginning spring break and can’t wait to take my mom there! I’m a sucker for pancakes. Another go-to; Bryant Lake Bowl pancake (s mpls).
My daughter can’t have dairy so we always cook our pancakes in coconut oil and they come out with perfectly crispy edges every time!
I can see what you mean, but also get how promotional cycles could influence the timing. I also think that as many people move to Substack newsletters there’s a lot of crossover-promotion (in the same way that it feels like most podcast guests have their own podcast). I think it was in McSweeneys that I read a piece about new collective nouns and one was a group of white men is called a podcast 😂 (also, speaking of homogeneity, I probably got the link to that McSweeneys post from COJ)
That’s funny! My favorite pancake of my life is also from Minneapolis (my adult hometown) at Nighthawks. I’m not a pancake person but 10 years ago when I was pregnant I was and when I had theirs I literally cried (pregnancy is so random!). I’ve tried a million recipes at home for my now almost 10 yo and they always, always suck. I’ll try these. Or at least hit up that diner :)
hilarious. you inspired me to write a note in my phone to go to this diner and try these pancakes. I have never been to Minneapolis and have no plans to go haha. but! if I’m ever there and hungry. .
Please do come to Minneapolis! We could use the love and tourism this spring/summer – it is an absolutely beautiful city and surrounding areas :)
Currently reading this unique cool-book. Loving the very selective take on recipes chosen. . Already made these delicious pancakes-twice while watching Baz Luhrmann’s new Elvis film (banana ref) and loving your enthusiastic nudge to go for it!
That ghee tip is wonderful! I have a whole jar I got as a free promo and haven’t figured out using it yet. Because yes, my butter in the pan always burns a bit and this will save the day.
I don’t know if this is Brooklyn OR people working overtime, but it seems like authors get featured in all the trendy blogs at the same time. This woman and the cookbook woman with the hair now have been all over the place the last two weeks. It gives homogenous /AI vibes! Maybe less mainstream people to highlight?
I think the cookbooks just got released so they’re promoting them
I hear you. I think it’s friendly of Joanna to help her friends and people who have contributed to her site before, whose work she admires, promote their work here. I know if Joanna ever writes a book (we can all dream…) we’d want her friends and work acquaintances online to help her promote it, I think.
I’m so intrigued . . . who is the cookbook woman with the hair?!
Natasha Pickowicz Has written two cookbooks. She was featured this week about her personal hair styling.
Ha! I actually find it to be the opposite of AI. It just classic book promotion, as it’s been done for decades, except now blogs and Instagram are part of the mix instead of (solely) newspapers and magazines.
The cookbook woman with the hair made me laugh out loud, thanks