Buttermilk Pancakes

Still very cold in our neck of the woods, -26°C as I write this.  Pancakes seemed like a good idea for brunch.  And because there was half a litre of buttermilk left from yesterday’s muffins (and some frozen blueberries), the obvious choice was buttermilk pancakes sprinkled with blueberries.

A quick surf of the net suggested adding instant yeast to the batter, with the promise of “fluffiest pancakes ever”.  Who could resist the siren call?  Not me 🙂

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 package rapid-rise yeast (8g/2 1/4 tsp)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups buttermilk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

1 cup blueberries, if using

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Stir in dry yeast.  Meanwhile, heat milk to 50°C/120°F.  Stir in oil.  Add milk, oil and beaten egg to flour mixture, stirring just with a spoon until blended. Don’t over stir or pancakes will be tough.  Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until bubbly and almost doubled, about 10 minutes.

Lightly grease a griddle or skillet with cooking spray or a little oil.  Heat over medium heat until hot.

Stir down batter; pour 1/4 cup per pancake onto griddle. Sprinkle each pancake with 4-5 blueberries.  Cook pancakes until edges are dry and surface is bubbly. Turn; cook other side until golden brown.  Serve with maple syrup.

Advertisement

Blueberry Bliss

Don’t be put off put the long list of ingredients.  Once you’ve made this cake, you’ll see how quick and easy it really is.  I also like that it’s so versatile.  It can be dessert with whipped cream or ice cream, or breakfast, or coffee break!  And when you see how fast it disappears, you’ll want to double the recipe next time.   Enjoy!

Quick Coffee Cake

Batter:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 egg

4 tbsp canola oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Fruit:

1 can cherry (or your favorite flavor) pie filling  OR about 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, OR sliced fresh strawberries

Topping:

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp butter

Butter and flour a 9″ x9″ cake pan.  If using fresh fruit, wash and slice as needed.  Then make the topping .  Stir together the 1/3 cup flour and sugar and cut in the butter to make crumbs.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine  the dry ingredients for the cake batter.  In a smaller bowl, stir together egg, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.  Pour into flour mixture.  Stir just to combine.  Pour into prepared cake pan.  Layer on the fruit.  Sprinkle on the crumbs.  Bake  at 350 degree F until light golden, about 35-40 minutes.  Note:   fresh fruit takes longer to bake than pie filling.

Best Ever Bran Muffins

Really, that’s the title of the original recipe.  And they did live up to their name!  But that was from the olden days of higher sugar and fat content.  So in my kitchen, the recipe has undergone a transformation (several, in fact) over the years and finally settled into this version, which is still pretty delicious.

Best Ever Bran Muffins

3 cups of flour

1 1/2 cups of natural bran

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

pinch of salt

2/3 cup canola oil

2 eggs

2 cups 1% buttermilk

3 tbsp molasses (fancy grade)

1 1/2 cups raisins, washed  or 2-2 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries or 4 medium mashed ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients.  In one  small  bowl, stir together eggs and buttermilk, and in another small bowl, whisk together oil and molasses.  Make a well in the dry ingredients.  Add raisins or blueberries, stirring gently to coat with flour,  then add in all the wet ingredients.  Mix just until combined, using a folding technique instead of stirring.  Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 full, or use cupcake papers.  Bake for about 18 minutes, until golden brown.  Makes about 2 dozen muffins.