Recently, I have not been able to cook during the week due to going back to work full time. I am very fortunate to have a husband (and more and more these days an older child) who is the main cook. This is good because when I get home, I simply can not endure the thought of cleaning the kitchen and then cooking. The cleaning part is always an integral component of cooking because, just like you, I do not have a maid but I do have 3 kids and a stay-at-home dad, all of whom have never been to maid-school.

I do repair enough energy-wise and psychologically by Sunday to face the mess and also to cook. I have been cooking fine Sunday dinners. I also have been able to do fantastic Sunday morning breakfasts which seem to always be in the pancake category! What can I say, cold dreary rainy snowy early spring in New England, while the sap is flowing and the sugarshacks are boiling, pancakes are obligatory.

For this reason, the past two weekends I have tried two different pancake recipes, both using whole wheat flour, that came out spectacularly. The thing is, the key attribute of these amazing pancakes was their loft and you would think that they would be similar in terms of their ingredients but they were quite different.

One was complicated and had expensive ingredients I do not usually have on hand (fresh buttermilk, 3 CUPS of it) and the other was super easy, not fussy, and less expensive to make.

I am going to share both recipes, recommend the easier one, and share photos of the easier one (didn’t shoot the other recipe).

Flavor-wise they each are fantastic and quite distinct from one another. I suggest giving them both a try. I used our freshly laid free range eggs that were literally still warm from the nest. I am not sure if that would make the recipe taste hugely different than if you are using factory-farmed eggs. The goodness of fresh eggs is easiest to tell in a sunny-side up egg.

I snuck some powdered chocolate into a bit of the mix in a few pancakes, you might be able to tell in the shots that I alternated white and chocolate pancakes. I love using blackstrap molasses (instead of, gasp, maple syrup) because I crave this sort of molasses. Its a very strong flavor so use what you prefer.

Remember the cardinal rule in pancake-land – do not over mix!

If you do make these pancakes, let me know how it goes for you!

Easy Recipe:

Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Yogurt

Directions:

“Sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk and yogurt together then add to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fry pancakes on a hot greased griddle, turning once. Makes 6 pancakes.”

More fussy and expensive recipe:

AllRecipes.com Buttermilk Pancakes II

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs (from our own hens)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:

“In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it’s ready!

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it’s just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.”

Resources:

Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

• Epilogue: The Apotheosis of Pancakes
• Bait and switch food magazines burn my biscuits
• Blue Eggs Yellow Tomatoes – A Beautiful Life
• Eggstravagant or worth it? Whats your price point?
• Frugal Foodies
• Slow steady food
• Chocolate Coconut Hedgie Cookies