Zak Baker's Buckwheat Pancakes

Recipes

Buckwheat Pancakes

By Zak Baker

The Bakers chose a couple of recipes – Zak’s buckwheat pancakes and Sarah’s Shakerato Corretto cocktail – from their personal collection, though the cocktail is now available at the Ca’Lucchenzo. Zak has a long relationship with pancake-making – “my go-to Sunday morning ritual,” he calls it – and with the evolutionary changes he’s made to the Martha Stewart recipe he started with, it’s become his own. For starters, he says he doesn’t use a bowl or a whisk to mix the batter. He prefers plastic deli containers and a fork for mixing. He swapped some of the all-purpose flour for buckwheat. “It plays so nicely with the butter and syrup,” he says. He measures his ingredients by weight. He also started browning the butter, a very worthy switch. What also makes these cakes special is the maple syrup they’re slathered with – from Jorns’ Sugar Bush in Egg Harbor, Wis. “It tastes like I’m back in Door County,” he says.

And he also doesn’t just make pancakes at home. Zak dials up the measurements to make pancakes for family meal at the restaurant too. If you like fresh fruit in your cakes, Zak sometimes adds blueberries or cherries. And Sarah likes a good sausage link wrapped inside a pancake. So, without further ado, Zak’s oft-made recipe.

Ingredients

Makes (8-10) 7-inch Pancakes

180 grams of all-purpose flour

180 grams of buckwheat flour

45 grams sugar, granulated

8 grams of baking powder

6 grams of baking soda

2 grams of kosher salt

700 grams buttermilk (about 26 fluid ounces)

2 eggs, beaten

55 grams butter, unsalted

Instructions

Brown the butter in a small pan over medium heat, taking care to not burn the butter. Once you see the butter turn a slight shade of light brown, turn the heat off and set the butter in the pan aside. The butter needs to be cooled, but not so cool that it solidifies. If it does, just warm very briefly over low heat to melt before you use it later in this recipe.

Combine the first six dry ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine evenly. In a larger bowl, combine the beaten egg with the buttermilk and whisk to combine. To this liquid, add the dry ingredients and mix by hand to combine evenly, but not too much – there should still be small lumps in the batter. Then, add the brown butter and stir to distribute evenly. Set aside; the batter is best after about 15 minutes so that the baking powder and baking soda have time to react and create the gas needed for fluffy pancakes. If you must hold the batter longer than this before cooking (or if your kitchen is very warm), set it aside in the refrigerator. Don’t use the refrigerated batter more than an hour or two after mixing, as it will begin to lose its lift and texture. I always prefer a heavier griddle that you put on the stove to an electric variety that you put on the counter or table. That said, either will work.

Preheat the griddle over medium heat until evenly heated, about 10 minutes. A slight flick of water from your fingers to the dry griddle’s surface is a good test to see if it’s ready – the water should immediately sizzle and evaporate. If the water dances around and doesn’t evaporate right away, it’s too hot. If the water sits on the griddle for a few moments and slowly dries up, it is too cool. Every griddle and stove is different, so experiment and see which burners and settings work best for you. If using an electric griddle or skillet, a click above 375 would be an ideal temperature to start at. A well-seasoned griddle shouldn’t need any oil or butter to prevent the pancakes from sticking, but if needed, rub a small amount of neutral oil or butter evenly over the griddle so it looks shiny. There should be no pools or drops of oil left on the griddle. Greasing the griddle may make the first pancakes off the griddle look a little splotchy, but successive pancakes should look normal after that. Use a half-cup (8 fluid ounces) ladle or measuring cup for each pancake. I find the best way is to drop the batter in one spot and let it run out into a circle. The pancake will be around 7-to-8 inches in diameter once it runs out, so be sure to leave enough space between pancakes.

Cook them for two to three minutes on the first side, until bubbles begin to appear around the edges and into the middle of the pancake. Flip, then cook a minute more. Pancakes (and almost all food served warm or hot) are best served on a warmed plate. I warm mine in an oven at its lowest setting, usually 170 degrees. You can also place the pancake stacks on the plates and keep them in the oven if you want to serve them all at the same time. Serve with salted butter and real maple syrup. The imposter syrup from the supermarket will not do your pancakes justice! I prefer Jorns’ Sugar Bush maple syrup from Egg Harbor, Wis.

Bio

Zak and Sarah met in 2005 while working for the Bartolotta Restaurant Group and fell in love with Italian food, wine, culture and, ultimately, each other. From nearly the first day they started dating, they began planning what would become Ca’Lucchenzo. From 2005-2018, Zak and Sarah set out to learn all they could about running a successful restaurant, which brought Zak to a very busy French restaurant that catered large events. He learned to skillfully and efficiently execute events alongside busy dinner, brunch and lunch services. Sarah spent her time working in restaurants as a server and bartender while being Joe Bartolotta’s assistant during the day. She learned the ins and outs of what it takes to run a profitable, hospitable restaurant. In 2013, Zak and Sarah signed on as consultants to help reopen a beloved local pizzeria. What started out as a six-month consulting project turned into a five-year stint ultimately opening four concepts. Throughout this time, they continued to write business plans, and menus and run proformas while always dreaming of their own creation. After a fateful trip to Italy in 2018, they decided it was now or never and they started looking for a spot for their dream to live. After looking at only two locations, they fell in love with a corner building in the town where Sarah grew up. Ca’Lucchenzo, an Italian restaurant with a midwestern twist specializing in handmade pasta, opened in 2019.

Zak Baker

Ca'Lucchenzo

Zak Baker

Ca'Lucchenzo

About Ca'Lucchenzo

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