Whole-Wheat Blueberry Pancakes!

These are the perfect lazy-weekend breakfast food. In the summer, I love using fresh-picked, perfectly ripe, plump blueberries, but in our current 30 degree weather, pulling them right from the freezer works just fine too. :) They are made with whole wheat flour, but I assure you - the texture is light and fluffy, like the clouds you could float away on in a dream. It is the buttermilk that keeps them airy and delicious. Also, a lovely cooking/baking tidbit: If you do not have buttermilk on hand or don't like to buy it because you end up with more than you need for a recipe - do not fret! You can simply create your own - with some milk and some vinegar (weird, right?), but somehow the vinegar curdles the milk properly for the same chemical effect. Please do not ask me to attempt to explain that process, I certainly do not claim to be a chemist - in fact, chemistry is my least favorite subject that I have ever had to learn about. Makes me thankful for the people in the world who do love it...like Chris, Erin, Sara to name a few...because I would be living on the streets right now if my livelihood depended on my skills in balancing redox reactions. Anyway, the conversion for 1 c. buttermilk = 1 Tbsp. vinegar & (just under) 1 c. milk - enough that together it equals the 1 c. of buttermilk that you need. As long as we are discussing substitutions, you can easily use 1 c. plain yogurt or 1 c. sour cream as a substitute for buttermilk also. Just to keep in mind if ever you encounter a dairy baking dilemma. :)

Whole-Wheat Blueberry Pancakes: I adjusted this recipe from one I found on Kevin's "Closet Cooking" blog - which is fantastic. You can follow the link I have on my blog to find his - he makes some delicious foods! This is my modified recipe of what he used for his pumpkin pie pancakes; changed to use blueberries instead of pumpkin flavors.


Ingredients:
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 c. buttermilk (or the various substitutions I bored you with earlier)
1 egg
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (melted)
Plenty of blueberries!


Directions:
Sift (or whisk) the flours, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the milk, egg, and butter.
Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and mix until just barely incorporated - the more you mix, the further you will get from the light, airy pancakes that you so desire.
Then get your pan nice and hot and spray with non-stick OR use it to melt the butter for your wet ingredients and you've just fed two birds with one scone (hah! my new animal-friendly idiom... like it? a little lame, but so much nicer of an expression than one about stoning birds to death!)
Pour about 1/4 c. of the batter into the pan and heat until the surface starts to bubble (those are your lovely air pockets) and the bottom is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. This is where you add your blueberries!

When golden brown on one side, flip the pancake and cook the other side until it is also golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. You do not want to go back and forth flipping them or you smash the air out and we have already discussed how this will ruin the perfect pancake texture. This is like cooking a hamburger or steak - you only want heat to hit each side once, so make sure it's ready to be done on that side, before you flip.

Now, for the best part, pile 'em up, throw some butter, Earth balance, yogurt spread, whatever floats your boat on and douse the stack in delicious pure maple syrup. Hmm, hmm, hmm. The taste and comforting satisfaction that these lovelies provide is absolutely divine. I think I may just have my plan for this Saturday morning - can't wait.