Buttermilk Pancakes

I love pancakes. I really do. But your average pancake does not contain the nutritional stats I would like them do. That said, not all pancakes are created equal. I have successfully made pancakes that are delicious and nutritionally sound. The real difference is in the flour used as the base for the pancake and obviously, the omitting of oil or butter. There are many options for a healthier flour and I have tried most of them. Oat flour is good, but it doesn't taste like a traditional pancake. Today, I made these pancakes that use whole wheat flour. The whole wheat, combined with flax and cinnamon give the pancakes a nice nutty flavor and they are extraordinarily fluffy. I don't have pancakes very often, but I'm glad I made these. My whole family ate them!

Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour <---(I now use whole wheat white for both flours)

1/2 cup all purpose flour<---

2 tablespoon flax meal (optional)

1 tablespoon sugar substitute 

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 eggs

 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4- 1/2 cups of milk

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients in another (reserving 1/4 cup of the milk). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix just until combined (don't worry about lumps. Mixing too much creates excess gluten, which will make your pancakes less fluffy). Test the batter and add up to a fourth of a cup more milk to get your desired thinness ( I don't like mine thick at all. I think they are fluffier when they are thinner). On a hot skillet, pour 1/3 cup of batter and cook until bubbles show around the edges. Flip. Cook until golden brown.

I top mine with sugar free maple syrup and in this case, homemade raspberry preserves. If you want to make a fruit topping, simply add any kind of fresh/frozen fruit to a pot, add sugar substitute to taste, and add some water. Let the mixture cook until thick. If you want it a little thicker, whisk some corn starch into the sauce. My favorite fruits to do this with are blueberries and raspberries.

**Today, after I put my leftover pancakes in the toaster, I topped them with peanut butter and raspberry preserves. It was delicious. Reminded me of a pb&j sandwich.