I t’s important not to overmix a pancake batter Just as with the batter on a good onion ring or piece of fried fish (see “Experiment: Gluten Development in Batter,” here), the more vigorously you stir a batter, the more gluten develops, and the tougher it becomes The result is underrisen or leathery pancakes When mixing pancake batter, the goal is to it as quickly as possible, just until it comes together, allowing a few lumps of dry flour to remain Don’t worry—they’ll disappear as the pancakes cook WHAT IS BUTTERMILK? T rue buttermilk is the liquid whey left after cream has been churned to create butter Traditionally this whey was allowed to ferment into a slightly thickened, sour liquid that would keep longer than fresh milk These days, though, buttermilk is made from regular milk by dosing it with Streptococcus lactis, a bacteria that consumes lactose, the main sugar in milk, and produces lactic acid, which adds tartness to the buttermilk, as well as causing casein, the primary protein in milk, to curdle, thickening, or clabbering, the milk In some recipes, it’s possible to substitute artificially clabbered milk—milk to which an acid like vineger or lemon juice has been added to thicken it—for buttermilk, but you’ll always be left with a telltale flavor from the added acid Much better is to substitute another soured dairy product When I have no buttermilk on hand, I’ll use yogurt, sour cream, or even crème frche diluted with milk DAIRY PRODUCT TO SUBSTITUTE FOR 1 CUP OF BUTTERMILK Yogurt ⅔ cup yogurt ... produces lactic acid, which adds tartness to the buttermilk, as well as causing casein, the primary protein in milk, to curdle, thickening, or clabbering, the milk In some recipes, it’s possible to... it—for buttermilk, but you’ll always be left with a telltale flavor from the added acid Much better is to substitute another soured dairy product When I have no buttermilk on hand, I’ll use yogurt,... would keep longer than fresh milk These days, though, buttermilk is made from regular milk by dosing it with Streptococcus lactis, a bacteria that consumes lactose, the main sugar in milk, and produces