Buckwheat Buttermilk Pancakes

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Buckwheat pancakes have a place in the American imagination, but rarely at the breakfast table. When you do occasionally find them at restaurants, the percentage of buckwheat flour is so low that you can hardly taste it. Which is a shame, because the warm, toasty, nutty flavor is delicious.

You can easily substitute up to 50% buckwheat flour in any pancake recipe and it will be fine but possibly a little flat. I counteract that tendency with buttermilk, which adds a lot of leavening power. Pancake batter should be fairly thick so that it has time to rise instead of spread when poured on the griddle.

Pancakes are a great way to introduce children to cooking because the mixing is fun, they are ready to eat in minutes, and most kids love them. Making them from scratch teaches your munchkins the value of home-cooked instead of pre-packaged foods, and it gives you the opportunity to make them from healthier ingredients. When we don’t make buckwheat, we’ll use a mixture of half whole-wheat pastry flour and half unbleached white flour, which is also delicious.

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Recipe: Buckwheat Buttermilk Pancakes

• Prep Time: 10 min(s)
 
• Cook Time: 10 min(s)
 
• Total Time: 20 min(s)
 
• Servings: 12

Enjoy these hearty pancakes featuring the toasty, nutty buckwheat flavor.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 3/4 cup unbleached white all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs

Instructions

• Whisk together the buckwheat flour, white flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in one bowl.
• Whisk together the buttermilk, butter and eggs in a second bowl. You can save a bit of cleanup by melting the butter in this bowl in the microwave, then stirring in the buttermilk and eggs.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Be sure not to overmix, or your pancakes will come out tough. It is ok if they have some lumps. If it is too thick, add a bit more buttermilk or milk, but keep it on the thick side. If it is too thin, add a bit more of either flour.
• Heat a griddle over a medium high flame. Rub it with a bit of oil on a paper towel. Ladle out pancake batter to about 5" circles. Allow to cook until bubbles form on top and peek underneath reveals a nice dark brown. Flip and cook until the other side is done.
• Serve forth with plenty of soft butter and real maple syrup.