Sheet-Pan Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Sheet-Pan Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Here’s a clever trick for making a big batch of pancakes that will save you from spending all morning at the stove: Bake them all at once on a sheet pan. In this recipe, the batter comes together like biscuit dough by cutting the cold butter into the flour before adding the liquid. This cuts down on gluten production, which means fluffier pancakes. For wonderfully crisp edges, heat the sheet pan in advance, so the batter starts cooking as soon as it’s poured into the pan. If you like, you can stir a teaspoon of vanilla extract into the batter, sprinkle it with finely chopped fruit, or mix and match toppings to please the crowd.

Yield: 6 servings

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 8 tablespoons/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled

1½ cups/360 milliliters cold buttermilk

1½ cups/360 milliliters cold whole milk

3 cups/385 grams all-purpose flour

¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup/125 grams mini chocolate chips

Maple syrup, for serving (optional)

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 13-by-18-inch sheet pan using 1 tablespoon softened butter, then line it with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and milk; set aside.

In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and blend until combined, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the chilled butter cubes on top and pulse the mixture until the butter is coarse and sandy, and some pieces are the size of peas. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk mixture on top. Whisk to combine, then let stand for 5 minutes. Place the prepared sheet pan in the oven on the middle rack to heat while the batter sits.

Remove the hot pan from the oven, add the remaining 2 tablespoons softened butter to the pan and return to the oven until the butter is melted and bubbling, about 1 minute. Remove the pan and carefully tip to spread the melted butter around. Working quickly, stir the risen batter one final time and pour it into the center of the pan, tipping the pan again to spread the batter evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the batter.

Return the pan to the oven and bake until cooked through, 13 to 15 minutes. Broil until the top turns golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool slightly then cut into squares. Serve warm, with maple syrup, if desired.

TIP: So to those of you fretting about not having a food processor: fear not. I do have one, but kids are sleeping so I used the same method used forever to mix butter and flour in my native France: just cut the butter in small cubes and mix it in with tips of fingers rubbing into the flour. Tip: cut your stick of butter four times lengthwise, turn it over and repeat on adjacent face, then cut crosswise all the way through. You will have about pea size squares , dump in flour separating them. Voila!

The parchment paper in this and many other sheet pan baking recipes is to make it easier to remove nice squares from the pan -- the parchment reduces sticking and makes it possible to lift the whole rectangle of pancake out of the pan to slice, if you'd like. Buttering the pan first helps the parchment adhere to the pan so that it doesn't slide around as much (though that's optional in my experience); buttering the parchment further reduces sticking. Cut and lift off of it; don't eat it!

This recipe won’t replace pancakes in our house, but it is an excellent option for a company brunch. For a first trial we made a half recipe in a 13 by 9 inch pan. We followed the method exactly, but omitted the chocolate chips. The “pancakes” were light and flavorful: we served them topped with fresh fruit and a few toasted pecans. For a full recipe, I plan to use two of these smaller sheet pans—the edges had a crispness we enjoyed!

I've learned a simple short cut to add the butter instead of cutting in the butter in my non-existent or noisy food processor. Melt the stick of butter in the oven while it's preheating, then, just before you mix the wet with the dry, stir the melted butter into the _very cold_ milk/buttermilk - the chilled liquid causes the butter to recoag into small pieces that do the same as pea sized chilled butter. (tip source - cooks country).