Buckwheat Pancakes

From A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, published by Simon and Schuster, 2009

Introduction

This recipe uses an unconventional mixing trick that I learned from Cook’s Illustrated. Rather than adding the melted butter directly to the wet ingredients, you first mix it with the egg yolk. It does require an extra bowl, but it helps the butter to better incorporate into the batter, making for a more even-textured pancake.

These pancakes are great on their own, but they’re even better with some fruit. Slices of banana are always nice. Or you could try blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, either fresh or frozen, 4 to 5 per pancake. You don’t even have to thaw them before adding them to the pancakes; the heat of the pan takes care of that. Whatever you use, let the pancakes cook on their first side, undisturbed, for about 1 minute before you add any fruit. That gives them time to puff and begin to set.

Ingredients

⅔ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

⅓ cup buckwheat flour

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. milk (preferably not low-fat or nonfat)

1 large egg, separated

2 Tbsp. (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Vegetable oil, for brushing the griddle

Fresh or frozen fruit, such as bananas or berries (optional)

Pure maple syrup, for serving

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour the buttermilk and milk into a medium bowl. (A 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup also works well; you can measure right into it.) Whisk the egg white into the milk mixture.

In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the yolk with the melted butter. Whisk the yolk mixture into the milk mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients all at once, and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be somewhat thick.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush the skillet with oil. To make sure it’s hot enough, wet your fingers and sprinkle a few droplets of water onto the pan. If they sizzle, it’s ready to go.

Ladle the batter in scant ¼ cupfuls into the skillet, taking care not to crowd them. After 1 minute, add fruit, if desired (see headnote). When the undersides of the pancakes are nicely browned and the tops start to bubble and look set around the edges (about 2 to 3 minutes), flip them. Cook until the second sides have browned, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Re-oil the skillet and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly in subsequent batches, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve warm, with maple syrup.

Yield 8 to 10 pancakes