This is an old family recipe. It goes back to the early days of the Southcombe Family Tree. This is from my Father's Mother's Mother's family line. I don't know how many relatives have this in their recipe arsenal, but it was a staple of my childhood, and is in turn a regular on the table for my own kids.
I have made these pancakes numerous times in my adult life. It wasn't until two years ago that they took on a whole new meaning. My Dad was gravely ill, and it seemed as if there would be a generational shift. The potential for effect rippled far and wide in my life, and there was a tsunami wave that left this recipe in its wake. I was experiencing something of a midlife crisis and every part of daily life had a profound meaning. Making an heirloom recipe was not immune to this. There was an intense urge to preserve the past. By bringing this recipe to life, sharing it with friends and family who came to visit us in our new home in a new state, helped to do just that.
To be in your thirties and have an awareness of the finality of life, to know that if I don't take actions to preserve the past, the future will never know... it's why Lala's Legacy exists. I'm only partially typing these recipes for myself. It's really for YOU! And for my children, their children, and so on.
I know many of you wouldn't think to craft pancakes from scratch, but I promise it's much easier than the boxed version, and a cost savings. If you absolutely have to have it in mix form, it's easy to combine the dry ingredients in a mason jar (or other air tight container) and add the wet when ready to prepare. I do this all the time, and it makes a wonderful hostess gift as well. I usually make multiple batches worth at a time as a mix.
To use your mix, combine 1 1/4 C. of dry ingredients with 2 eggs, 1 C. Buttermilk, and 2 Tbs. Melted Butter. It's that easy!
These pancakes, and Lala's Angel Food Cake/Frosting are the foods I remember her for. My earliest memory of the buttermilk pancakes is from when I was three or four. I was sitting at the kitchen table. Lala was standing at the stove with her back to me, her hair in a bun, housecoat on. She brought me the first pancake, and it was the cutest, tiniest pancake you've ever seen. Basically a drop of batter. The next pancake was slightly large, the next slightly larger still, and so it went until I was up to a normal size pancake. When I make pancakes, I prefer to keep them small (no larger than the mouth of a pint glass). When the kids were little, they were a very manageable size for their small hands. My preteen can now devour one whole. I sometimes vary them by adding chocolate chips while the first side cooks in the pan.
Although I can't enjoy these anymore (food sensitivities are the worst!), they are the ONLY pancakes I ever liked. As a kid and an adult, I would never order pancakes at a restaurant. And sorry friends, but your parents pancakes paled in comparison to what my Dad made on weekends.
I do not have an original copy of this recipe, just this grainy version saved to the cloud. I LOVE that there are stains from years of use. All the best recipes have evidence of use.
If you're in Central Wisconsin and are interested in being a part of a group taste testing, email me your name and best way to contact you. If you like this recipe, you're going to love the other foods produced by Caught Red Threaded. To find out more, visit Caught Red Threaded. Be sure to leave a comment in the thread below to let me know how this turned out when you made it (and photos are always welcome!), and follow Caught Red Threaded on Facebook and Instagram for exclusive offers and ideas.
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