Secret Recipe: Mildred’s Famous Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Secret Recipe is an ongoing series where Toronto’s top chefs reveal their closely guarded, drool-inducing restaurant recipes to be recreated by you at home.

🕒 4 min read

Is there anything more comforting than a plate of fluffy hot pancakes? Hmmm, no. There are however, a few tips and tricks to getting them just right. Who better to show you the way than Chef Doona Dooher, owner of brunch destination Mildred’s Temple Kitchen.

“Pancakes make people happy,” she says. “Throughout the past few months, through everything that has happened, Mrs. B’s pancake recipe has brought us all together.”

As for the best time to dive into these heavenly stacks, Dooher says, “Pancakes aren’t just for brunch or breakfast. It’s a staple in many people’s households. Whether that be during breakfast, a special brunch for a loved one, pancakes for dinner or all day celebratory pancakes. In the end, do you really need a reason to eat delicious pancakes?”

All that’s required: a few pantry staples and following Chef Dooher’s easy instructions below.

Not up to making them them from scratch? You’re in luck. You can order them right to your door. #brunchgoals.

Mrs. Biederhof’s Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

¼ cup of white sugar
½ tsp of salt
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp of baking powder
½ tsp of baking soda
2 large eggs
2 cups of buttermilk
¼ cup of melted unsalted butter
1 cup of fresh blueberries
And some extra unsalted butter on hand to grease the skillet

Directions

Step 1 

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the buttermilk and melted butter.

Step 3

Using a spatula, combine the dry and wet ingredients to make a thick, lumpy batter, taking care not to overmix. The real trick to these is in the mixing. If you overmix the batter, your pancakes won’t be moist and delicate.

Step 4

In a nonstick skillet, melt some butter over medium-high heat. Ladle ⅓ cup of batter into the hot skillet and sprinkle with blueberries. Take care not to overcrowd the skillet, since the pancakes will puff up as they cook.

Step 5

When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and the edges begin to brown, flip the pancakes and cook the other side. It should take about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Keep them nice and warm by keeping them in a 250ºF oven.

Step 6

Smother with maple syrup, fresh blueberries, dollop with whipped cream and maybe even a good dusting of icing sugar.

And there you have it! So pat yourself on the back now because you just made your own stack of Mildred’s famous pancakes. Play around with it next time. Fancy some chocolate chips? Go for it. Or some rainbow sprinkles? (ouuuu sprinkles) You, my friend, are the Grand Master. Go ahead and throw them in. However you prefer them, enjoy your delicious fluffy creations. We’ll see you on the other side of all of this. Stay well.

Did you know? Chef Dooher’s famous ‘Mrs. Biederhof’s Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes’ takes its name from the 1945 film, Mildred Pierce, like many other brunch dishes and cocktails (‘Bert’s Back’ is a must) at the restaurant. As for who Mrs. Biederhof is, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

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Mildred’s Temple Kitchen
85 Hanna Ave., Unit 104
(416) 588-5695

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