Buckwheat pancakes are awesome. Real ones, that is. Most buckwheat pancakes and pancake mixes you find are about 2/3 refined white flour, so the buckwheat you’re getting is pretty minimal. This is a shame, since buckwheat is incredibly good for you. I have a tricky stomach, and I know for certain that buckwheat leaves me feeling awesome. (It has no relation to wheat whatsoever, by the way. Technically, it’s a seed). So if you’re up for some real buckwheat pancakes, try these out. The ratio of buckwheat to white flour is flipped, so you’ll get 2x the goodness, plus I add rolled oats.
Ingredients:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup regular flour (I use gluten free, you can use brown rice flour, oat flour, etc)
1/2 cup rolled oats – not instant
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 very ripe banana, mashed up with a fork
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Butter for frying
Directions:
1) Combine the milk, apple cider, banana, oats and buckwheat flour. Let them sit and soak while you prepare the other ingredients and heat your pan.
2) Combine all other dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Heat a large fry pan with a tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
3) Separate the eggs: put the yolks in with the milk/cider combo, and put the whites in a mixing bowl – you’re going to beat them to soft peaks using a hand mixer. When you have them at soft peaks, so they’re light and fluffy, set them aside temporarily and combine the other milk/cider/buckwheat/oats with the other dry ingredients. When those are combined, fold in the egg whites so that the batter is light. If you don’t have time, or don’t feel like separating the eggs and beating the white, you can skip this step. But it does lead to a lighter, fluffier pancake.
4) Cook the pancakes as usual, waiting until you see bubbles form at the top of the cake before flipping them. Add a little butter to the pan here and there to keep them flipping easily. Enjoy with real maple syrup, or just about anything!