Hey there Honey's and New-Bees!

I love pancakes! Seriously who doesn’t? They’re warm, a little sweet and so delicious – the perfect breakfast treat. We’re at the tail end of summer and blueberry season is in full swing, so there’s no better time to whip up a batch of yummy blueberry pancakes!

Growing up, pancakes were a treat in our household that came out of the freezer or from a box of “pancake mix”. I still get a chuckle when I think of my parents going out to buy “pancake mix”, since it’s just flour, baking power, baking soda and a little sugar (all pantry staples) that you added an egg and milk to. I’ll admit it, they were great and always made with love, but now that I’m older and wiser and not so keen on eating processed mixes, I much prefer the good old fashion truly homemade pancakes.

The beauty of making your own batter from scratch is that you have a lot more room to play around with the flavour and ingredients. Since Romeo and I are gluten-free, I’ve substituted the use of white flour for buckwheat flour which is not only a gluten-free alternative but also higher in protein and fibre, so an all around win!

So let’s get to it and let me know how you’re pancakes turned out 🙂 !

Combine all dry ingredients and mix  together in a large bowl, then set aside. In a small separate bowl, whisk egg yolks into your buttermilk*, then add melted room temperature butter, vanilla and lemon zest.

*If you don’t have buttermilk just add a tablespoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon to a cup of milk or cream, whisk together, wait about 2 minute and you now have buttermilk. So don’t worry about running out to the store to pick up a liter.

Once you have all that ready, place your egg whites in a glass bowl and whip them until they form nice soft peaks (basically a very simple meringue) then set aside.

Pour your wet milk mixture into the dry mixture and lightly combine until everything is well blended. Then gently fold in your fluffy egg whites. You’ll notice that your batter will gain a lot of volume from the egg whites, and it’s what will help make your pancakes super fluffy, so make sure not to over-stir, otherwise you’ll loose that wonderful fluffiness. Once your egg whites have been folded gently stir in your blueberries 😋

Pre-heat a large, non-stick skillet, and add a small dollop of butter. Once butter is completely melted, add a 1/3 cup of batter onto the pan and drizzle 5-6 blueberries onto the pancake.

Typically I treat my first pancake as a ‘test’, to gauge the heat and temperature, but also to see where the hot and cold spots are on the pan. If you notice one section is burning warmer that other parts, don’t be afraid to rotate your pan to evenly distribute the heat.

After my test run, I try to limit the amount of pancakes I have in the pan to 1 or 2 at a time, as I find that the pan tends to get crowded pretty quickly, which makes it difficult to flip and/or the pancakes stick together – which makes it very hard to flip.

You will know it’s time to flip your pancake once the bubbles on the top start to pop and are hole-y :P. Once flipped let them cook for another minute or two, and avoid the temptation to press down on your pancake with your spatula as this will spread the batter and you’ll end up with flat pancakes 🙁
After you’ve flipped your pancake, transfer it to a plate and cover it so it remains warm until you’ve finished all your batter and are ready to serve.

Continue to the process until you’ve finished your batter, serve with a little butter and top with maple syrup!

Let me know how yours turned out – and Buon Appetito!