History

The Pancake Pantry opened on 21st Avenue South in Hillsboro Village in 1961, founded by Robert Baldwin, and has served scratch-made pancakes from the same worn linoleum counter ever since. Country-music recording artists, with Music Row a short drive northeast on 16th and 17th Avenue, made it a regular stop from the 1970s; Taylor Swift named the sweet-potato pancake her favorite Nashville dish in Bon Appetit (2012). The queue down the sidewalk has not stopped since.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 25 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 300g sweet potato (1 large), roasted, scooped and mashed
  • 300g plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Half teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Half teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 400ml buttermilk
  • 60g unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the griddle
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the syrup: 120g dark brown sugar, 150ml maple syrup, 60g butter, half teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of salt
  • Whipped butter, to serve
  • Toasted pecans, to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Roast the sweet potato 60 minutes at 200C until completely soft. Cool, scoop the flesh and mash smooth. You need 300g of cooked flesh.
  2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a wide bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, buttermilk, mashed sweet potato, melted butter and vanilla.
  4. Pour the wet into the dry. Stir just enough to bring together; do not overwork. Rest the batter 10 minutes.
  5. Heat a heavy griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Brush with butter.
  6. Ladle 90ml of batter per pancake. Cook 3 minutes until bubbles form across the surface and the underside is deep gold.
  7. Flip carefully and cook 2 minutes more.
  8. Meanwhile melt the syrup ingredients in a small pan, stirring until smooth.
  9. Serve 3 pancakes per person with a generous drizzle of the cinnamon syrup, a knob of whipped butter and a scatter of toasted pecans.

Tip from the editors. Sweet-potato batter holds more moisture than a buttermilk pancake batter; cook each pancake 60 seconds longer than you think. If the centre stays wet, you turned it too soon.

Where to eat pancake pantry stack (sweet potato pancakes)

Pancake Pantry stack (Sweet potato pancakes) in Nashville

The Pancake Pantry ★ 4.0

BrunchPancakes and breakfast classics$$$11-17hillsboro-villageDaily 06:00-15:00Walk-in only

Hillsboro Village's Pancake Pantry in Nashville has cooked scratch pancakes since 1961, with 23 varieties and a queue that wraps the block every weekend.

Order: Sweet potato pancakes

Tip: Weekday line is easier; tourists pile up Saturday and Sunday from 09:00. Sweet potato pancakes are unsung.

1796 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212

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