Whole Wheat and Spelt Buttermilk Pancakes

This morning husbandface slept in, after a late night at work last night, which means I didn't eat breakfast. Instead, I started a strawberry rhubarb pie for my friend's birthday (recipe coming soon), then went to the fruit stand, the library, and an antique store. When I came home, he was just waking up. It was around 12:30pm and a good time for a hearty brunch. I offered to make him pancakes while he made scrambled eggs. I threw some bacon from our local butcher in the oven to bake while we cooked.

This recipe is adapted from Deliciously Organic. My experience with whole wheat pancakes has been less than satisfactory. They always seem to be heavy, dense, and overly chewy. This is not the case with this recipe. Carrie describes them as being "light and fluffy with delicious crispy edges." I couldn't agree more. In fact, they are probably the best pancakes I've ever had. They are light, fluffy, and elastic, but with depth and substance; topped with some freshly ground peanut butter, and a dash of maple syrup, they're incredible.

I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so instead I put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (vinegar works, too) in a 1 cup measuring cup, and added milk to the top. You'll need to do this twice, plus a scant 1/4 cup milk plus a dash of lemon juice or vinegar, for this recipe.

Whole Wheat and Spelt Buttermilk Pancakes

adapted from Deliciously Organic

24 3-inch pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup spelt flour (you can omit the spelt flour by using 3 cups ww pastry flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 1/4 cup buttermilk (see above for substitution)

3/4 cup whole milk

3 eggs, separated

6 tablespoons unsalted melted butter

coconut oil, for frying (you may use butter instead)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda and powder, and the cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine the milks with the egg whites. In yet another smaller bowl, combine the melted butter with the egg yolks (you may want to temper the egg yolks before hand if your butter is freshly melted and still hot to avoid cooking the egg).

Add the yolk/butter mixture to the egg white/milk mixture and whisk. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, stir until just combined (lumps are okay), and let stand for five minutes.

In a pan between medium and medium-high, add a teaspoon of coconut oil. Coat the pan with it once it melts. Cook the pancakes by dropping 1/4 cup ladle fulls onto the hot pan (3 at a time works well). Cook until bubbling, and the bottom is golden brown, then flip and continue cooking until golden brown. Transfer each batch to a warm oven while you cook the remaining pancakes. 

Serve with butter or peanut butter, and maple syrup. They would also be lovely with a berry compote. Any leftovers can be easily frozen, separated by parchment paper, in a ziploc or tupperware. To reheat, simply toast, or put in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes.