And how did I make that fresh buttermilk? Oh, I was hoping that you would ask that question. Because you see, The Matriarch gave me a Butter Churn for Christmas. She said it was from Santa!! Apparently Santa is a very clever old bugger. He knew just what I needed.
A glorious old butter churn. On the label it reads ‘Guaranteed Highest Quality Elgin for the Modern DairyMan.’ Which is kind of strange as often the kids and women did the milking and almost always did the butter churning. But there you are. DairyMAN indeed. It should read Dairy Family. Elgin made this model in the 1920’s. But no matter how old, the gears are good, and back to work it goes, in the old fashioned Farmy Kitchen. 
So, as you can imagine I pounced on it, scattering wrapping paper in all directions, washed it, skimmed the cream off a jug of milk from the cow down the road, and between Our John and I, we cranked that thing until we got some butter. Because the cream was too cold it took a long time. I knew that, but I could not wait. 
I washed and patted the butter while talking trifle on the phone, with my sons in NZ, sluicing the buttermilk out. The Buttermilk was put aside for pancakes. Buttermilk is the left over milk. It is thin and slightly acidic. Not to be confused with Cultured Buttermilk which is slightly fermented milk. I will make some of that too.
So this morning John made pancakes using the home made butter, and a couple of fresh eggs that had miraculously appeared in the laying boxes, (Big day on the egg farm!) and the fresh buttermilk.
Johns Buttermilk Pancakes
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 3/4 cups fresh buttermilk
- 2 small eggs
- 3 tablespoons melted homemade butter
- Mix dry ingredients together. Make a well. Add mixed wet ingredients. And you know the rest.
- Mama the Sheep was doing so well yesterday morning that I did let her out into the field for a stroll. She shot out of the barn like a stallion out of the starting gate, took herself for a gallop and within seconds was limping again. So I called her back in to a bigger pen. She has more room but no room to run. She is standing in there now practicing baleful looks. The naughty girl. But she is standing on all four feet, so we are winning.
- The sun is rising, time for me to get busy.
The Kitchen's Garden 
88 responses to “Boxing Day Fresh Buttermilk Pancakes”
Wow – Santa and The Matriarch really came up trumps! You lucky lucky Dairy Chick…am going to show big man the photo and see if he can make me one. Would have to make my butter from goat´s milk – could be fun!
Evidently it is harder to seperate the cream from goats milk. But it can be done i think. As i understand it. It is more homogenised that cows milk (if that makes any sense) . I think this helps to make great goats cheese though. You will just have to get a Daisy. But not the super sized one!! Love to the Big Man Tanya.. c
I do love a good pancake! I have the churn that belonged to my great-grandparents. My mother remembers watching her grandfather churn butter – and letting her help! How precious that is to me! It is a wooden churn with metal rungs, probably from the very late 1800’s.
How wonderful to have the old ones’s churn.. that is awesome, hope you get to put some cream through it every now and then to keep the wood oiled.. c
A lovely looking churn! With fresh fresh pancakes yummy indeed!
I wanna wake up to the smell of those
Life is rich Celi 🙂
Isn’t it brilliant. The rich people are the ones who know this is so.. c
What a beautiful piece of kit! Lucky girl, you. 🙂
I read recently that I can make butter by pouring some double cream into a bottle and then shaking and shaking and shaking it until suddenly a wad of solid starts forming. If you continue shaking, it collects more and more fat, meaning more and more butter. Is that true? Can I really make butter from double cream that way?
yes absolutely true. I often (well before my butter churn) made it exactly like that. Once you get those lumps, they are the butter. Then wash it, and squeeze and pat and wash all the whey out, shape and into the fridge. If you can find cream that is not mega pasteurised all the better. c
I’m going to try this. Just double cream? I see that someone here used a stand mixer to do it. You don’t have a recipe and method posted here do you?
I will make cream tomorrow (both ways) and then post it, I have enough fresh cream in the fridge! good idea Ms Misk! c
Thanks! Just read your new post. Can’t wait!
Excellent.. c
Awesome…when can i come over for breakfast?
We are doing it all again this sunday!!c
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