Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

Today started off on a lazy note. Both the husband and I slept in. The 4.5 year old woke up later than usual. This being a long weekend here, the past two days were  spent mostly out. On Saturday, we went to the Farmer's Market (I bought some Apple Butter and Raw Honey) followed by a stroll through Downtown Cincinnati sampling delectable fare at the 'Taste of Cincinnati. The evening was spent cooling down at the Pool Party at our gym. After two full hours of frolicking in the water, the kids went inside to enjoy  slices of pizza and a movie while the grown-up chilled out around the pool - kind of a date night for us! There was good food, chilled beer (and margarita), live band playing and a lady doing Hula Dance. We came home pretty late. 

Sunday was spent at the Cincinnati Zoo - the entire month of May you can go to the zoo and look at the cute 'Zoo Babies'. Then I went shopping. Came home and cooked a simple dinner of 'Bhaat ey Bhaat'  - a very simple Bengali meal comprising of all things boiled tempered with a dash of mustard oil. 

I guess what I am trying to say is that today was a 'Breakfast for Lunch' kind of a day - a day when I am too lazy to cook lunch, yet the tummy wants something yummy! So I set out to make Whole Wheat Pancakes with a hint of cinnamon and some Baked Eggs with some Ham and Cheese. The pancakes were fluffy, soft and pretty wholesome!

Making pancakes from scratch is a cinch - almost as easy as it is to make from a box mix. Once again, this recipe uses buttermilk, you can use store-bought or make your own (See Notes). 

Ingredients: (Yields about 6 pancakes)

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup
• Brown Sugar - 2 tbsp, tightly packed
• Baking Powder - 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Egg - 1 large, at room temperature
• Oil - 2 tbsp (I used Canola Oil)
• Buttermilk - 3/4 (See Notes for making it at home) 
• Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
• Water - 2 or 3 tbsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp for frying (you can use oil)

In a medium bowl whisk together the brown sugar and the egg. Pour in the buttermilk, vanilla extract and oil and whisk it briskly for 15-20 seconds. Add the whole wheat flour along with baking powder, cinnamon and salt and gently fold in until just incorporated. Do not worry about the lumps and do not overbeat. Add the water little by little till you reach a slightly runny consistency. Give it one final whisk.

Heat a griddle or a pan (on medium heat) and add a little bit of butter to it. Spread it around using your spatula. You can use oil instead, but butter packs in a lot more flavor. 

Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto the pan and leave it alone till you see bubbles rising and then popping. That's your cue to turn the pancakes. Cook for about a half a minute. 

Pancakes taste best right off the griddle, with a dab of butter and a drizzle of honey, agave or your preferred syrup! But if you are making larger batches, then transfer the pancakes to a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and stick the cookie sheet into an oven preheated to 200F.

Update: 07/04/14: Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake: 

Once you pour the batter into the pan and it starts bubbling a little add a handful of blueberries, wait for 10-15 seconds and flip the pancake. Follow the rest of the procedures.

Notes: For making the buttermilk add 2 tbsp of vinegar to a measuring cup and pour in the milk till it reaches the 3/4 cup mark. Let it sit undisturbed for 10-15 minutes or till it curdles.