It’s not a secret when you come to Asheville and stay at Pinecrest, breakfast is a big part of the experience of staying at the inn. We typically rotate our sweet and savory entrees from day to day. One of our new favorites is sweet potato pancakes but did you happen to know that the state of North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation? We’re doing our part to support local food and farmers!
We took the best ideas of several recipes and morphed them into our own. Some insider tips include:
- Cook your own sweet potatoes rather than using canned. The texture and flavor is worth the effort. We use the microwave, easy-peasy.
- You can substitute light brown sugar but you’ll lose some of the molasses flavor that comes from using dark brown sugar.
- Look for full fat buttermilk and thank me later.
- Do not overmix your batter and make sure you give it a 10 minute rest between mixing and cooking the pancakes. This gives the leavening agents time to interact with the acid in the buttermilk.
- Pancakes can hold covered in a 200 degree oven, especially if you’ve brushed them with melted butter first!
Ingredients
3 c all purpose flour (or 375 grams)
6 T dark brown sugar
1 ½ t baking powder
1 t baking soda
¾ t salt
1 ½ t ground cinnamon
¾ t ground ginger
4 1/4 c buttermilk
3 eggs
2 T butter, melted and cooled
1 c mashed sweet potato
2 T honey
Additional vegetable oil for griddle
8 T butter, melted for brushing cooked pancakes
Directions
Whisk together the dry ingredients flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl and set aside.
In another bowl, preferably with a spout, whisk together wet ingredients, buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Then add sweet potato and honey, stir until well mixed.
Add the wet sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients. Combine well, stirring with a spatula, but don’t overmix. There may be a few lumps but no dry streaks of flour. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
Heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Spread 1 t vegetable oil over the hot griddle then use a wad of paper towels to wipe up oil (repeat with every batch.)
Using a ¼ c dry measuring cup, portion out 8 pancakes on a griddle. Batter may be thick so use the bottom of the cup to help spread the pancakes into nice round circles. Cook until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles are just beginning to break, 3-4 minutes. Use a large spatula to flip pancakes and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove pancakes to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Cover and keep warm in the oven while preparing the rest of batter.
Best Place to Stay
Book your vacation to Pinecrest today. You’ll start your day with a hearty breakfast at our comfortably elegant bed and breakfast with plenty of energy to explore Asheville and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains!