World's Best Pancakes

A few weeks ago I was in Salt Lake City and my friend "J" made the most delicious waffles using Alton Brown's waffle recipe. It gave me the perfect base recipe for these pancakes! They are airy, fluffy, and a perfect golden brown.. a great way to start a lazy Saturday morning. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• cooking spray

1. In a medium bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. Let it stand at least 5 minutes. It will "sour" and turn to buttermilk. (You could also use 1 3/4 cups buttermilk instead but this is a simple substitute.)

2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the melted butter and eggs together. Add egg mixture and the almond extract to the soured milk, stir to combine.

4. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just enough until the lumps are gone. Do not over-stir. Let the batter sit for at least 15 minutes. The batter will form air bubbles as it sits which will make the pancakes nice and fluffy.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray the skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1/3-1/2 cups of batter onto the skillet and let them cook until bubbles appear at the edges and the bottom is golden brown. Flip using a large spatula and cook until golden brown on the other side.

Makes 8-10 large pancakes.