Overnight Pancakes

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 2020. We went to Patty and Steve on Christmas Eve — outdoors again for part of it, then inside in small groups rotating through, masks on, windows cracked. Babcia Rose was there. She is 86 and sharp and still wearing her good earrings on Christmas Eve the way she always does. She pulled me aside in the kitchen to taste my pierogi and pronounced them "okay," which from Babcia Rose is "good," and "good" from Babcia Rose is "you have finally learned something." I will take every word of it.

Ryan gift was a stand mixer. A real one — a KitchenAid in the exact red I have admired in every cooking store I have ever walked through. He said I had mentioned it once and he had been saving. I cried in a way I was not expecting to cry about a stand mixer, which tells you something about what this year has been and what it feels like to be given exactly what you need by someone who was paying attention when you did not even know you were asking.

I called Kristin and Matt and family. I called Babcia Rose separately when I got home, just us, and she told me in Polish and English that she was proud of me this year. I said I did not do anything special. She said getting through a hard year is special. She should know. She has been getting through hard years since before I was born.

Christmas Day was Ryan and me, just us, in our apartment with the lights on and the stand mixer on the counter (I had already made something in it on Christmas morning: a batch of potato pancakes, using the dough hook, while calling Babcia Rose to report). We had leftovers from Christmas Eve and we watched a movie and it was the quietest Christmas I have ever had and one of the ones I will remember most. Nine more months to the wedding. We are almost through this year. Both of those things are true.

The potato pancakes I made on Christmas morning were Ryan’s fault, really — or the stand mixer’s fault, or both of theirs together. I had to use it immediately; that much was clear. Overnight pancakes have become my answer to every slow, hopeful morning since: you do the quiet work the night before, you rest, and in the morning everything is already waiting for you. That felt exactly right for Christmas 2020. That still feels exactly right.

Prep Time: 10 min (plus overnight rest) | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min active | Servings: 4–6 (about 16 pancakes)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Butter or neutral oil, for the griddle
Maple syrup and softened butter, for serving

Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients. The night before, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer).
Combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
Make the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined — a few lumps are fine and expected. Do not overmix.
Rest overnight. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 16 hours. The batter will puff slightly and develop flavor as it rests.
Cook the pancakes. In the morning, heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with butter or a neutral oil. Give the batter a gentle stir — it may have thickened; if it seems very stiff, fold in 1–2 tablespoons of milk. Pour about 1/4 cup batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more, until golden.
Serve warm. Stack and serve immediately with maple syrup and softened butter. Keep finished pancakes warm in a 200°F oven on a baking sheet while you work through the rest of the batter.

Nutrition (per serving)

Overnight Pancakes — The First Thing I Made in the Red KitchenAid