I’m not a huge fan of pancakes for breakfast. And before you start thinking I’m crazy, hear me out. It’s not that I don’t like pancakes, because I do. I just don’t like like the idea of eating a pile of plain pancakes made of white flour and doused with sugar syrup as a meal that is supposed to sustain me throughout the day. After I eat them I inevitably just want to lay down and go to sleep. And then, right on cue, a few hours later, I’m starving again. I tend to like them better at dinner because I’m planning to go to sleep shortly after anyway.

But I do like pancakes. They’re cheap, satisfying and quick. And while I’ve been known to whip them up from a boxed mix, I really prefer the ones made from scratch with buttermilk. Throw in a few blueberries or stir in a little pumpkin puree and I’m in like Flynn. And while you’re at it try replacing the white flour with whole wheat pastry flour. They’ll have more flavor, they’ll keep you full for longer and you won’t even notice a difference in texture. At least not in a bad way.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
Based on this recipe from Deb at Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Martha Stewart’s Original Classics Cookbook. My version uses whole wheat pastry flour and extra blueberries.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs, beaten

3 cups buttermilk

1 pint blueberries, washed

2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for the skillet

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl mix the buttermilk, eggs and butter.

2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix them just barely. You want to have small lumps. Lumpy batter = fluffy pancakes.

3. Heat a large flat skillet over medium low heat and brush it with a layer of butter. (Or if you’re lazy like me you can just grab the stick of butter and run it all over the hot skillet. It accomplishes the same thing without dirtying another utensil).

4. Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter onto the skillet. Repeat this to make as many pancakes as you can (this is why it’s good to use a LARGE skillet), keeping the pools of batter about an inch apart. Sprinkle each pancake with about 10 blueberries and wait until they start to bubble before flipping them.

5. Flip the pancakes. They should be golden brown. If they are too dark, reduce the heat some. Allow the bottom side to brown slightly and transfer them to a plate. If you are feeding people who are impatient you won’t have to worry about keeping them warm because they will disappear right before your eyes. But if you need to keep them warm you can put them on in a warm oven on a heat proof plate, or cover them with a clean dish towel.

6. Serve immediately with maple syrup or sprinkled with powdered sugar (or both).