Ellen Silverman

Gwyneth Paltrow shares the recipe to her dad’s pancakes. The perfect recipe for a family brunch. 

‘Now if there is one image of my father that is the most ‘him’ – that is to say encapsulates all of his elements and delivers them in one picture – it would be him over his cast-iron griddles making his world-famous pancakes. These things have been legendary in our house for decades. He first got the recipe out of the Joy of Cooking and adapted it over the years to utter perfection. The recipe below is so truthful to his pancakes that it’s almost hard for me to eat them, I keep expecting him to walk into the kitchen.’ Gwyneth Paltrow.

Serves 3 dozen 12.5cm pancakes

Preparation Time: 20 minutes (plus overnight)

What You’ll Need:

• 350g unbleached plain flour
• 75g granulated sugar
• 31/2 teaspoons baking
• powder
• 2 teaspoons fine salt
• 750ml buttermilk
• 75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more butter for cooking
• 6 organic large eggs
• Up to 250ml milk, as needed to thin batter
• Real Vermont maple syrup, warmed, for serving

What To Do:

1) Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, butter and eggs together in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking just enough to combine (small lumps are okay). Let the batter sit, covered, overnight.

2) The next morning, heat up your griddle or favourite non-stick pan and slick it with a little butter. Add enough milk to the batter to thin it to the right consistency – the thicker the batter, the thicker and heavier your pancakes; the thinner the batter, the more delicate your pancakes – neither is wrong.

3) Cook the pancakes on the griddle, flipping them after bubbles appear on the surface of the uncooked side. Let them cook 2–3 minutes more, then remove and eat with lots of warm maple syrup.

Recipe from Notes From My Kitchen Table by Gywneth Paltrow, published by Boxtree, April 2011, £20 Hardback