Berry Pancakes

I have finally perfected my pancake batter...melt in your mouth perfection, to be specific. A few things are essential for perfect pancakes:

1. DO NOT OVER MIX THE BATTER (this is the absolute most important thing).
2. Acid makes tender pancakes.
3. Full fat, grass fed dairy is your pancake's best friend.

I personally do not believe that you can have perfect pancakes unless you do all three of these things. Let's take them one at a time. First let's talk about mixing the batter, once you have added the wet to the dry you want to mix it just to incorporate and then STOP! If you have sifted or whisked your dry ingredients well you won't have to worry about the lumps or pockets of dry in the wet, it will work itself out and you won't notice when you are eating insanely delicious, tender pancakes...I promise! When you mix and mix to get a smooth and uniform batter you overwork the gluten in the flour and it makes chewy and tough pancakes. I like to mix mine about 5 times and then let it sit (have a cup of coffee).  Second we will talk about acids, these include things like, sour cream, buttermilk or citrus juice. The acid makes for fluffy and tender pancakes because it works with your leavening agent (usually baking powder) and creates air pockets. After you let your batter sit you will notice that it has "risen" and the batter will be light and airy when you return, this tells you that you are on your way to pancake bliss! Third, and my most favorite rule: full fat, grass fed dairy is friend not foe! Not all fat and not all dairy are created equal, grass fed dairy (milk and butter) make the most wonderful and delicious pancakes you will ever eat. There are so many health benefits and taste benefits to using grass fed dairy, click here to read more: http://www.eatwild.com/articles/superhealthy.html. The very last thing is the mix in, I used local berries that we picked. I used blueberries, black raspberries and red raspberries, this resulted in sweet, tangy and slightly floral notes to every single bite, I am going to say it again, perfection!

This recipe makes 8 medium size pancakes.

Ingredients

1 Cup unbleached, organic, all purpose flour

1/4 Cup wheat germ

1 Tbsp organic cinnamon 

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Heaping Tbsp baking powder

2 Tbsp fair trade, organic, raw cane sugar

1/4 Cup pasture raised sour cream

1 Farm raised egg

1 1/2 Cups pasture raised whole milk

3 Tbsp pasture raised butter, melted.

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Mixed organic berries, frozen or fresh work, about 2 Tbsp per pancake.

1/2 tsp additional, pasture raised butter for each pancake, for frying.

Local organic maple syrup, optional. 

Directions

Heat a cast iron or other skillet over medium low heat. Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F and place a baking sheet on the middle rack to keep pancakes warm while you cook. 

In a large bowl whisk or sift the flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and sugar. 

In another bowl mix the sour cream, egg, milk, butter and vanilla extract. Add the wet to the dry and mix only to incorporate, do not over mix!

Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes.

Add butter to the heated pan and then (I use a soup ladle) ladle your batter into the pan, spread out slightly with the back of your ladle to make the cake round and even. Sprinkle in Tbsp of berries on the pancake and cook till the edges are dry and it has little bubbles all over the uncooked side, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side. Remove the cooked cake to the preheated oven and repeat for the remaining batter. 

Serve with additional butter and maple syrup. Other toppings that are delicious include: homemade preserves, apple butter, local honey, or fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream.