foodie fridays: spelt pancakes with berries

Flour.

As a little girl flour was simple.

All-purpose white flour was all you had.

All you needed.

All you knew.

Flour was simple. Life was simple.

But life changes. Food changes. Knowledge improves.

Up until a month ago I felt pretty good about myself in that I used whole wheat flour in some of my baking recipes. I thought I was living on the edge of foodie coolness. But my flour reality was sifted when I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit last month for spelt pancakes.

My first thought, what the heck is spelt? Is it some kind of ingredient astronauts use while in space? Is it the inbred cousin to spam? After a quick google search, I was relieved to find that I was none of those things. Whew!

Spelt is actually an ancient grain with a deep, nutlike flavor. It is very similar to wheat, but it has a tougher husk which is said to protect nutrients inside the grain. Many people bake with spelt because it does have a lower gluten level than white or whole wheat flour.

Now that we know spelt isn’t some ingredient from outer space, let’s find out if the taste adds up to the hype.

Per the recipe, whisk your ingredients together like you would when you were a little kid making pancakes on a Saturday morning. I have fond memories of watching my dad make pancakes in the morning and sometimes even for dinner. Breakfast for dinner, brilliant.

Anyways, once the ingredients are prepped and the batter mixed, spoon a 1/4 cup of it on a griddle.

Wait for it to bubble on one side. Then flip.

Flip again once golden brown.

Stack the pancakes high.

Drizzle maple or agave syrup over on top, and serve with fresh berries.

In my opinion, the spelt flour made the pancakes fluffier and taste better. I don’t normally eat pancakes because they immediately put me in a sugar coma. But these pancakes don’t give you that sugar intoxication.

I think my foodie flour coolness is back to a new level.

Spelt Pancakes with Berries
(from Bon Appetit July 2011)

Serves 6

Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup whole grain spelt flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons strawberries, garnish
blueberries, garnish
syrup, any kind you like

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the first 8 ingredients. In another large bowl, whisk milk, yogurt, eggs, and 3 tablespoons oil. Add dry ingredients to wet in 1/3’s and stir to combine.

Preheat griddle or nonstick skillet to medium heat. Brush with olive oil. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto skillet. Cook until pancake bubbles begin to appear on top.  Flip and cook until golden brown on other side. Repeat process until batter is gone.

When done, plate pancakes. Drizzle syrup on top and then serve along with assorted berries.

Conclusion: Conclude your morning with satisfaction, having enjoyed the wholesome goodness of spelt pancakes with berries, a perfect start to any day.