If you’re still making pancakes with a pancake mix, perhaps you either don’t realize how easy it is to mix them up from scratch or you just like the time savings.  Either way, you risk including ingredients that may not be that good for you over the long run—ingredients like plain white flour, white sugar, corn syrup, or hydrogenated fats.  What may surprise you is how simple pancake recipes can be, and with a little creativity you may discover there’s a whole world you’ve been missing.

Best Ingredients

In today’s recipe, I’m using buckwheat, flaxseed meal, walnuts, buttermilk and olive oil—all incredibly delicious and heart healthy ingredients that make these pancakes special.  Oddly, I tried a buckwheat mix several years ago and was so unimpressed I wrote the company and demanded my money back.  I’m not sure what they did, but I remember thinking they tasted like sawdust.  Let me assure you—mine are delicious!

 

High Fiber

Before we get to it, I want to mention buckwheat and flaxseed are whole grains and thus high in fiber.  That’s compared to white flour, which has practically no fiber whatsoever.  Nutritionists have been telling us for years we all need more fiber in our diets.  Fiber helps process cholesterol out of our bodies and improves digestion.

 

Okay, I’m hungry, it’s time to get with it.  Let’s make breakfast.

 

Ingredients

 

For this recipe we’ll want to gather:

 

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buckwheat

¼ cup flaxseed meal

¼ cup chopped walnuts

 

Note:  These quantities should easily serve 2 or 3 people.  Double the recipe if serving 4 to 6.

 

Preparation

 

These pancakes go together quick.  Add the buttermilk, egg, olive oil and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl.  (Note, you can use regular milk instead of buttermilk, but they’re not as good). Whisk together.

 

Now, add the soda, buckwheat, flaxseed and walnuts.  Combine until well mixed.

 

Find a large flat pan (nonstick is best) and put it on the stove at a medium heat.  Alternatively, use an electric fry pan or skillet and set the temperature to the pancake setting.  Depending on your pan you may want to add a touch of oil.

 

The key to keeping your pancakes from scorching is to watch them.  I let my pan warm up to the desired temperature before I add oil and start cooking.  Then as my pancakes cook they eventually begin to bubble.  The sign to flip them is when the bubbles pop and do not automatically fill in with more batter.  The second side will usually require a bit less time to cook, so just check them after a minute or so.

 

I devoured my pancakes after topping them with some real maple syrup.  Always look for real maple syrup if you can afford it.  The brands of “syrup” most heavily advertised are often made with plain sugar, corn syrup and other ingredients that attempt to mimic the taste of real maple syrup.  I usually find the best-priced real maple syrup at Costco (though the bottle is large).

 

Make It Interesting

As I began eating my buckwheat pancakes I suddenly had a hankering for bacon.  Now, as I didn’t think to make that up ahead, I just grabbed some of my Instant Presto Candy Bacon (click here for the recipe), micro-waved it a few seconds to reheat it, and then sprinkled it over the top.  Wow!  Is there anything ever quite as yummy as bacon soaked in real maple syrup?  Of course, fresh fruit would be another great option—I’m thinking blueberries or strawberries would be perfect.

 

Are you ready for pancakes.

 

Enjoy!

 

By Bob Anderson
© 2011 Javabird LLC.  All rights reserved.

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If you enjoyed this recipe you may want to see:
Make Your Own Delicious Granola Bars
Or for more recipe ideas visit our new Recipe page by clicking here.

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