Scratch Buttermilk Pancake Duel

Is one recipe better than the other?

Obviously... the cooking temperature matters also.  The other week, there was a Pancake Day celebration.  iHOP was on Sacramento TV Channel 31 Saturday morning show.  The spokesperson pointed out that their success is that they use very cold water or milk or buttermilk... I can't quite remember and cook at 350'F.  That got me interested to try it.
I have been testing the scratch Pancake many times.  What I am looking for is the Cake like thick pancake that I enjoy in Japan.  They call it HOT-O-CAKIE.  Most of the "American" pancake is very close to flapjack thin, and I dislike the taste of Baking Soda.
Since my own recipe seems to bring inconsistent result, I decided to test this one that I found at:

https://www.yahoo.com/food/6-tips-for-the-best-buttermilk-pancakes-112166728786.html

Recipe by Jessie Damuch - BA's Best Buttermilk Pancakes.

The recipe is posted it there.  Please get the recipe from there.  If you are interested in seeing my full modified recipe, please let me know.  My modification is the batter 'lump' size.  With my method, my batter's lumps are quite smooth.  I've tried this 'some lumps' and end up with finding unmixed flour when cutting in to eat. After my first testing, for 2nd batch, I decided to reduced the amount of baking soda to 1/2 tsp to avoid soda smell that I dislike.  I have to find my scratch note somewhere in the kitchen to see what I exactly changed.

 Thickness test.

 At 350'F, it browned too quickly.    But nice lift.

I used electric griddle to control cooking temperature at 325'F.  The first testing at 350'F caramelized the batter too quickly because of the sugar content in the batter. 

 I find 325'F agreeable.

Coat lightly surface of the non-stick griddle with  thin layer of EVOO.   Preheat the griddle to 325'F.

Dispense the batter over the griddle - even size and even space.  Watch the cake puff up.  Turn it over when you detect some browning.   Many recipe says to turn it over when you see the top of the batter bubbling.  That's a good tip, too.   But, then, again, it won't hurt to check because cooking temperature could vary when many cakes are on top of the griddle vs single cake.   Recoat the griddle with thin layer of EVOO before cooking the next batch.

The third batch - Perfect!

 

                         First Batch        Second Batch           Third Batch 

 Fluffy and Tasty!