Morning Blues
Is there a better way to start the day than with the morning blues? Blueberries, that is.
For years I purchased various brands of boxed pancake mix with the belief that adding water, oil and an egg was the easiest, and least expensive, way to make pancakes. It was no surprise that most of the brands have a similar flavor. It wasn’t until I started mixing my own batter from scratch that I realized that most boxed versions would leave a chemical, or artificial, taste afterwards.
I became creative with my batters by using different flours, adding spices (like cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, or allspice), and liquids (water, milk, or buttermilk). Depending on my hankering for variety, I would add fruit (diced apple, blueberries, chopped strawberries, fresh pineapple chunks, etc). Our family favorite remains to be blueberry pancakes.
When we cook from scratch, we gift ourselves the opportunity to be creative. Who says cooking from scratch has to be expensive or hard to do?
This is the buttermilk pancake recipe I use as a base. Enjoy your morning blues!
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 ½ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons olive oil (or coconut oil, softened)
Desired fruit (optional)
Maple syrup (optional)
Butter (optional)
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt. In another bowl, lightly beat egg; with whisk, combine egg, milk and oil. Pour wet ingredients to flour mixture. Using whisk, blend until mixture is moistened (batter may be lumpy). Add desired fruit and gently stir with a spoon.
Pour approximately ¼ cup of batter onto a hot, lightly greased skillet or griddle. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown. Serve warm (with butter and syrup, if desired).
Makes 12 pancakes.
Recipe by CK Kochis