Lemon Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 ½ cups PlainFlour
• 3 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¼ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 ⅓ cups Buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs Whole Eggs, room temperature 
• ¼ cup Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
• 2 large egg whites Egg Whites, room temperature 
• ¼ cup Unsalted Butter, for greasing the pan

• Maple or Blueberry Syrup
• Fresh Fruit
• Lemon Curd

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Fit the KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer with the turbo beater attachments. Place the mixer into the dry ingredients and turn to speed 1. Mix until combined, about 10 seconds. Turn the mixer off.
2. Add the buttermilk, whole eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients. Place the beaters back into the bowl. Turn to speed 2 and mix until the batter is smooth, about 1 minute. Turn the mixer off, remove and clean the turbo beater, then place them back onto the mixer .
3. In a medium mixing bowl, add the egg whites. Place the beaters into the whites. Turn the mixer to speed 5 and mix for 2 minutes, or until soft peaks form. Turn off the mixer.
4. Using a spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the pancake batter until just combined. Take care not to overmix the batter; there should be some egg white lumps!
5. Place the batter in the fridge to rest for 10 minutes. (NOTE: This step is optional, but it will allow the batter time to thicken and the starch in the flour to hydrate which will yield a better finished pancake.) While the batter is resting, pre-heat a cooking surface - either an electric griddle set to 160C, or a large cast iron pan set to medium heat. Add a Tablespoon of butter and let it melt in the pan. 
6. Using a ¼ cup measurer or small ladle, pour the batter in circles into the pan. Cook until the bottoms are evenly browned and bubbles appear on the surface of the batter, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and continue to cook until until golden brown on the other side, 1.5-2 minutes longer. Remove the finished pancakes from the pan and cook the remaining batter, using more butter as needed to grease the pan.
7. Finished pancakes can be kept in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Tip

To test whether your griddle or pan is hot enough, drop a tablespoon of batter in the center of the cooking surface. If, after a minute, the bottom of the pancake is golden brown, the pan is ready. If the bottom is too light or too dark, adjust the heat accordingly. Stovetops and griddles vary, so you may need to adjust the heat settings as you cook the pancakes.