Flat As A Blueberry Pancake!

I made these pancakes using a recipe I've been wanting to check out for some time now. It comes from the Cook's Illustrated folks who tested out several different blueberry pancake recipes before publishing one they really liked. The description of these pancakes said things like, "fluffy", "tender", and "flavorful." I'd have to agree with them on the flavorful part, but my pancake certainly was not "fluffy" or "tender". Instead, they came out rather thin and more crepe-like but still quite light. I liked the taste of the pancake though and the fact that they were not dense or heavy was a big plus for me. And as the article states, the blueberries did not break or bleed into the pancake upon cooking, another plus. I'm still willing to give this recipe another try the next time I have blueberries on hand however. If you're inspired to give this one a try yourself, let me know if your pancakes turn out the same way the Cook's Illustrated testers did. I'd love to hear back!

Blueberry Pancakes (makes about sixteen 4-inch pancakes, serves 4-6)

ingredients

1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon

2 cups milk (I used nonfat)

2 cups unbleached AP flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 cup fresh blueberries (you can use frozen but make sure to rinse them under cool water in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear, then spread them on a paper towel-lined plate to dry-this will prevent them from bleeding).

directions

1. Whisk lemon juice and milk in a medium bowl or large measuring cup; set aside to thicken while preparing other ingredients. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to combine.

2. Whisk egg and melted butter into milk until combined. Make well in center of dry ingredients in bowl; pour in milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (a few lumps should remain). Do not over mix.

3. Heat your pancake griddle or a 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes; add 1 teaspoon oil and brush to coat griddle or pan bottom evenly. Pour 1/4 cup batter and sprinkle 1 tablespoon blueberries over pancake. Cook pancakes until large bubbles begin to appear, about 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on second side, another 1-1 and 1/2 minutes. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

Comfort Me With Pancakes

Breakfast is one of the most comforting meals of the day for me. During the week, I usually try to add some variety for my first meal of the day. I actually lull myself to sleep the night before with thoughts of what I'll be eating in 8 hours or so! Sometimes I'll fix myself a warm bowl of oatmeal mixed in with dried cranberries, raisins and almonds. Or maybe it'll be a toasted slice of homemade banana bread topped with peanut butter. On weekends though, I love making a batch of pancakes. I love pancakes and so does my boyfriend which makes whipping them up even more fun. One of our favorites is a buttermilk recipe that I found in an old Martha Stewart magazine. These pancakes have that slightly chewy texture that I'm particularly fond of with just a hint of sweetness to it. See what you think:

Best Buttermilk Pancakes (adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine)-makes about nine 6-inch pancakes:

2 cups AP flour
2 tspn baking pwdr
1 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn salt
3 tblspn sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tblspn unsalted butter, melter plus 1/2 tspn for the griddle

1. Heat griddle to 375 degrees F. Whisk together flour, baking pwdr, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium size bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tblspn butter; whisk to combine.
(do not overmix as batter should still have some small lumps)

2. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the pancake batter onto the buttered griddle. When pancakes have bubbles forming on top of them (approx. 2min), flip over the pancake. Cook until golden on the bottom.
Repeat with the remaining pancake batter.

3. Pour your favorite syrup over the pancakes, eat, and enjoy!