Leisurely Saturdays are a gift. The work week is behind you and the free day sprawls in front of you like a dusty back country road. These late mornings beg for pancake breakfasts.
I had a carton of buttermilk I needed to use and Heidi's recipe from 101 Cookbooks uses a hefty 2 1/4 cups while many other recipes use just 1/2 cup or so. This is my new favorite pancake recipe - delicious, healthy, with a lovely light, soft texture. And the blueberry syrup -- amazing.
Whole wheat buttermilk pancakes with blueberry syrup
adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Makes about 12 large pancakes
1 cup frozen blueberries (fresh, if in season)
1/4 cup natural granulated sugar (evaporated cane sugar)
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup natural granulated sugar (evaporated cane sugar)
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 1/4 cups organic buttermilk
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
butter, to serve (and for pan)
Blueberry syrup:
Put 3/4 of the blueberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, maple syrup, and water. Heat and stir until the sugar dissolves and simmer for 8 or so minutes, until the blueberries begin to split. Remove from heat and mash the blueberries in the pan (you can press them against the sides of the pan with a fork). Stir the remaining blueberries into the warm syrup and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Pancakes:
Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don't overmix; lumpy batter is a-ok.
Heat your skillet or griddle to medium-hot and grease with butter. When a drop of water sizzles and jumps on the pan, use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour on the batter. Cook until the pancake top is covered with small holes, about 3 minutes (bottom should be golden brown), then flip with a spatula and cook the other side just 1 minute or less. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve with butter and blueberry syrup. We also served ours with delicious scrambled eggs and a veggie sausage patty. And coffee.
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