Just for Pancake Lovers

I love pancakes but always feel guilty about the white flour and the fact that there is very little food value in them. Peaches, our cockatoo, has to have her pancake fix, and Sue protests about how bad they are for the waist line whilst demolishing her third.

Suffice it to say, that in our ménage a quatre,  pancakes are essential, so you can imagine my delight when I came across a recipe that was not only healthy but far better in taste and texture to the common pancake.

This recipe is good for two healthy adults, one gluttonous cockatoo and a black lab with a limitless appetite. You will need two bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a whisk and your favourite pancake pan.

In the first bowl crack two eggs and beat until the whites and yolks are blended. Add to this one cup of buttermilk and a teaspoon of real vanilla essence. Whisk until blended. You will notice that the mixture seems to thicken slightly. If you do not have buttermilk then use ½ cup of yoghurt and ½ cup of milk.

In the other bowl put in ¾ cup of organic whole wheat flour, ¼ cup of milled flaxseed, one tablespoon of brown sugar, one level teaspoon of baking powder,  ½ level teaspoon of baking soda and ¼ level teaspoon of Kosher salt.  Mix them well and then add to the bowl with the liquids.

Now this part is very important. Very carefully stir the liquid and flour mixture making sure not to over mix. A little lumpy is good. You do not want to release the glutens in the flour. Your mixture should look like medium thick oatmeal porridge. If it is too thick add a little water making sure not to agitate the mixture too much.

Heat your pan to medium or less, add a dollop of butter and using a 1/3 measuring cup scoop up the mixture and transfer to the centre of the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan to help the mixture spread out. If it does not spread it is too thick. Add water. If it runs all over the place it is too thin. Add flour by sprinkling and mixing very gently.

Flip the pancake when bubble holes stay open. The pancakes are ready when golden brown on both sides. Place cooked pancake in a warm dish, slather with butter and cover with tinfoil. Repeat the process.

We eat them with organic maple syrup, choke cherry syrup or honey. Peaches and Tucker enjoy them with any of the above. They are very light with a wonderful texture and wholesome flavour.  They are definitely worth a try.

If you like them, then mix up four times the quantity of dry mix and place in a ziplock bag and freeze. Saves a lot of time in the morning.