Orange juice pancakes? You got that right! Joanna Gaines is my hero and her styling, creativity, and recipes inspire me all of the time. Today I have joined some blogging friends in a response to a challenge Joanna Gaines mentioned in the introduction to her cookbook, Magnolia Table. 

“A huge part of cooking is owning and enjoying the experience. Similar to my design philosophy about making your space uniquely yours, I want you to feel inspired to personalize these recipes and adjust them for your family’s tastes. If you don’t like onions, take them out! If you love mushrooms, add more. Just because the recipe is in the breakfast chapter doesn’t mean you have to serve it for breakfast. In fact, I encourage you to switch it up more often than not.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                             Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Table

I joined five blogging friends and each of us used one of her recipes and changed it to make it more for our family’s tastes. Today I “switched up” one of Joanna’s recipes. I used her Best-Ever Fluffy Pancakes recipe and turned them into my favorite Orange Juice Pancakes.

If you haven’t ever had Orange Juice Pancakes then you are in for a wonderful discovery. Orange Juice Pancakes, also known as OJPC’s, have a fluffy and tangy taste that is just amazing. I tasted my first Orange Juice Pancakes at a restaurant in Marina Del Rey over thirty years ago. Although I have yet to find them in a restaurant since, I decided it was time to perfect my own recipe.

I love the Magnolia Table cookbook and love Joanna’s challenge to use her recipes and yet make them our own. The minute I saw her fluffy pancakes recipe I knew exactly what I was going to do. I decided it was time to finally master the best Orange Juice Pancakes recipe.

I love making pancakes from scratch and I always include buttermilk. I was thrilled to see that Joanna Gaines included buttermilk in her pancake recipe. I used her recipe as a starting point and I made some changes to Joanna’s recipe. I added orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla. The end result was fabulous and very tasty!

The ingredients in my recipe are typically the ones that you have in your home, except perhaps the buttermilk. I love having these items on hand so we can make a batch of OJPC’s on a Saturday morning  (I have a recipe for lemon dill sauce that I make all of the time and it requires buttermilk. So it is often likely you will find buttermilk in my refrigerator.)

What can I add to make my pancakes fluffy?

It’s not really what you add to the pancakes, rather it’s how you mix them that makes them fluffy. Don’t over mix the batter: Over-mixing can make your pancakes tough, stop mixing when the batter has small lumps. Also, let the batter rest which is why this recipe calls to set the batter aside for 20-30 minutes. You can also separate & beat the egg whites as this will make your pancakes fluffy & soufflé-like!

Why do pancakes stick to the pan?

Heavy pans work better for cooking pancakes that don’t stick. Thin pans can heat unevenly, causing pancakes to stick to their surfaces even if they have a nonstick coating. Pancakes soak up butter while they cook. If you plan on making a large batch of pancakes, periodically melt more butter.

What can be used instead of oil in pancakes?

You can substitute butter for oil, but it’s best to clarify it first. You can also make a puree out of bananas or prunes and use it as a substitute for oil. you can aos use milk, yogurt or tofu.

I get asked all of the time how I make my pancakes so symmetrical. I guess you could say I cheat. I have this great pancake batter dispenser that releases the same amount of batter for each pancake. I have this Stainless Steel Pancake Batter Dispenser but you can also use this Stainless Steel Pancake Cupcake Batter Dispenser.

Yield: 12 pancakes/four servings

Orange Juice Pancakes Inspired by Joanna Gaines

Print

These pancakes are light airy and fluffy and have a wonderful orange flavor.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 TBL baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBL vegetable oil or melted bacon grease or 10 TBL melted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tsp. vanilla
• 2 TBL. orange zest

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest.
3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir together until well combined. Let stand 20 - 30 minutes. The batter will begin to get fluffy.
4. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until hot. Generously oil the hot skillet. Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake into the pan, far enough apart so the pancakes don't touch.
5. Serve hot, with butter and maple syrup.

Be sure and try these pancakes. I think you will love this refreshing orange twist.

And now I am thrilled to share the recipes my blogger friends created from the inspiration of the Magnolia Table cookbook.

Happy Happy Nester

Joanne made these homemade orange sweet rolls that I can’t wait to try!

Modern Glam

This layered arugula salad (which is a variation of Joanna Gaines recipe) looks so delicious. 

Inspiration for Moms

I love these banana bread bars inspired by Joanna Gaines. Yum!

Twelve on Main

Sara made this fabulous broiled peach and cheesecake mousse inspired by Joanna Gaines.

Your Marketing BFF

Tana made lemon angel food cupcakes with fresh blueberry compote. This recipe was inspired by Joanna Gaines Lemon Angel Food Cake.

I hope you are inspired to try some of these recipes.