WHOLE GRAIN BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY PANCAKES // elspeth

How many pancake recipes does one household need? Many, apparently. We like buttermilk rye. And whole wheat with oatmeal folded in. And thin, crispy cornmeal versions. Light and fluffy with zucchini. And today, upon the request of Sally, regular old buttermilk whole wheat, with molasses and blueberries. 

The recipe I like comes from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. A lot of recipes I like come from this book, because she does such a good job of sticking whole grains into ordinary, every day foods and coming out of the transformation not just with success, but with excellence. These pancakes are no exception. You take whole wheat flour, buttermilk, eggs, molasses, and some leaveners, and you come out with a wholesome, delicious breakfast. And when you are two-almost-three and you've been up too late and too early, this is apparently just what you need.

WHOLE GRAIN BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

I've adapted these somewhat to fit what we had on hand. Kim's original recipe calls for half whole wheat, half "multi-grain" flour, and also uses sugar in place of the maple syrup and adds a little orange zest. You can go crazy with variations. Also, a note about buttermilk. We don't always have it on hand, and I've found mixing half plain yogurt with half whole milk makes a fine substitute.

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons molasses

a handful of blueberries

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a smaller one, then fold them into the dry ingredients. Warm up a griddle, grease it with butter or olive oil, and fry the batter in rounds about the size of a tennis ball. I like to add the blueberries right after I pour the batter onto the griddle—I drop a handful into each round. When you see bubbles start to form, flip the pancakes and cook until golden. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.