Classic Pancakes!

Before the month of April is over, I should probably post my Easter treats! In addition to a very quick egg dye job the night before (for the same recipe see Easter of 2012), I also opted for some classic, traditional, Sunday pancakes to eat on Easter morn'.

Never officially posted on this blog (though it was mentioned), my go-to pancake recipe has been utilized almost every Sunday in my parents' house for years on end. The recipe originally comes from the "Bette's Diner Buttermilk Pancakes" recipe as found in the The Pancake Handbook. My only change has been the use of whole wheat pastry flour to get just a little more nutrition in there, and occasionally dropping in some blueberries. Cutting the recipe in half works for a small family breakfast, or you can make the whole recipe if you're having Easter guests for brunch! Best of all you can (attempt to) make them in the shape of a bunny! Hopefully yours will come out less creepy than mine....

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk (any kind)
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Canola oil for greasing the griddle

Directions:

1.) In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, milk, and eggs, beating them lightly. Make sure your melted butter has cooled slightly, then add it in, whisking together the wet ingredients quickly with a fork to avoid curdling.

2.) Add the wet ingredients immediately to the dry ingredients and gently fold to combine everything until there is no more flour visible. Do not overmix. The battery should be thick and lumps are okay.

3.) Drizzle the canola oil onto a griddle over medium heat. Brush the oil around with a paper towel to fully coat the surface, then test with a drop of water to determine if it's hot enough (a griddle that's ready will sizzle when the water hits it without evaporating too quickly).

4.) Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle to make the face of the bunny. Add a couple more drizzles in the shape of a line to make each ear. Dot with blueberries, if you wish, to form the face (about 13 blueberries per pancake seems to be a good amount when not making bunny faces).

5.) Let the pancakes cook about a minute, then lift the edge up slightly with your spatula to check for browning. If the underside is golden brown, flip the pancake and let it cook for another minute on the other side. If it's still pale yellow, wait a little longer. Resist the temptation to flatten your pancakes as this will ruin all your leavening agents' attempts to make the pancakes rise into fluffy goodness. When the color is perfect, simply plate them in a stack, butter them, and serve them warm with your choice of syrup.

My mom likes to heat maple syrup in the microwave and drizzle it on top. My dad likes the thicker, classic Log Cabin for his short stack. I like to eat mine plain, right off the griddle, while they're still just a little raw. So addicting. Such a treat--which may be how we got the "cake" in pancake. But despite the dessert-like qualities, it really makes for the perfect breakfast to celebrate an important time of year, and another reason to look forward to Sundays.