Perfect Pancakes

Even though I really enjoy cooking and baking (or at least, I do when I don't have two hungry, crabby kids to contend with at dinner time), for the longest time Hubs and I laughed about the fact that I was really terrible at making pancakes. It was comical and frustrating at the same time - no matter what mix or recipe I tried, I turned out overcooked, undercooked, burned, limp, tasteless flapjacks that were consistently either too thin or too thick. I just couldn't get it right. I was tempted to give up, but I couldn't let a bowl of batter get the better of me. After MUCH trial and error, I believe I've discovered the perfect homemade pancake mix. It's adapted from this recipe and it makes totally scrumptious pancakes and waffles! I personally love mine with butter and strawberry jam, and I have been known to make them for dinner ;) I hope your family loves them too!

Delicious Whole Wheat Pancakes

*This recipe makes a large amount of dry mix; simply store in an airtight container. It will make several batches of pancakes or waffles.

3 cups whole wheat flour

3 cups unbleached white flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

2 teaspoons kosher salt

To make the batter, you will need:

1 cup pancake mix

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk (I rarely have real buttermilk on hand. However, I do create a convincing substitute by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of regular milk. It works great and adds a bright, fresh flavor to the finished product.)

1 tablespoon oil (vegetable, canola, peanut, etc)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together the egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Combine with the dry mix and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Preheat a griddle or pan over medium heat. I used to use butter in the pan to prevent sticking, but I've found that non-stick cooking spray works much better. Use 1/3 cup batter per pancake. Turns out my major mistake was cooking them at too high a heat - turn that burner down to medium low! Cooking them low and slow is the key to perfect pancakes, people! Perfect pancakes people - there's some alliteration for your Thursday ;) Flip only once, when small bubbles form on the surface. Serve with your favorite toppings - in our house that includes real maple syrup, Nutella, jam, and Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter. Not all at once of course!