Molly's Buckwheat Pancakes

March 2, 2009 10:13 AM

I've run out of space on the bookshelf that holds all my cookbooks, and yet I keep collecting more. I'm not complaining, mind you, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed because I want to read them all, right now. The funny thing is, most of the food I make either comes from my own experimentation, or a recipe found on the internet. I rarely use my cookbooks. I love them all though, and would never part with any of them. I'm just going to have to get a bigger bookshelf I guess.

One of my newest acquisitions is the newly released A Homemade Life, by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette. Not only is it full of wonderful-sounding recipes, we're introduced to each one by way of a story. It's like a memoir and a cookbook rolled into one tidy package, with a gorgeous cover to boot.

The first recipe that really jumped out at me were these buckwheat pancakes. Pancakes make a regular appearance around here but I've never tried buckwheat, so I brought home a bag of buckwheat flour and on Saturday morning we ate these light and fluffy, yet hearty, pancakes with slices of banana hidden underneath. Delicious. I will definitely be making them again.

I only strayed from the recipe a tiny bit. I substituted white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose, and although Molly recommends using whole milk, I used 1%.

Adapted and reprinted with permission from A Homemade Life

2/3 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp milk
1 large egg, separated
2 tbsp (1 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Pour the buttermilk and milk into a medium bowl. (A 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup also works well; you can measure right into it.) Whisk the egg white into the milk mixture. In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the yolk with the melted butter. Whisk the yolk mixture into the milk mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients all at once, and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be somewhat thick.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush skillet with oil (or spray with cooking spray). To make sure it's hot enough, wet your fingers and sprinkle a few droplets of water onto the pan. If they sizzle, it's ready to go.

Ladle the batter in scant 1/4 cupfuls into the skillet, taking care not to crowd them. (If desired, top with a few berries or thin banana slices.) When the underside of the pancakes are nicely browned and the top starts to bubble and look set around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes, flip them. Cook until the second side has browned, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Re-oil the skillet and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly in subsequent batches, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve warm, with maple syrup.

Yield: 8-10 pancakes