Whole Grain Pancakes

When I got the idea into my head to drag out my cast iron skillet and whip up stacks and stacks of pancakes, the weather outside was gloriously cold, drizzly, and gray. Just the kind of East Coast type weather that I miss because it's hard to snuggle in fleece with hot tea when it's 90 degrees out. Nice weather also usually makes me crave omelettes, though I normally just eat cereal (I'm boring in the mornings).

There's a lot of lag time now between my cravings and when they actually come to fruition, so when I finally did make these, it was a nice sunny morning, but it didn't stop them from being delicious. Or gobbled up so there weren't any leftovers. So really, these can, and should, be made any time. But you knew that. No one listens to the boring cereal eater. So go get your skillets and industrial sized jugs of maple syrup, and then please invite me over.

Whole Grain Pancakes

Not only are these fantastic pancakes, but by omitting the sugar, increasing the salt a smidge, and replacing the cinnamon with cumin, you can serve these pancakes as flatbreads with soups, stews or salads.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1-2/3 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander or cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated

2 cups milk

1) Melt 3 tablespoons butter.

2) In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt.

3) In another bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer or a whisk until stiff peaks form, but do not overbeat.

4) In another bowl beat the egg yolks, milk, and melted butter until foamy, a couple of minutes. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and give a couple of good stirs, but do not overmix.

5) Fold in the egg whites and stir until the batter is just evenly colored and relatively smooth; it's OK if there are some lumps.

6) Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat until a few drops of water dance on its surface. Add butter as needed, and when skillet is hot enough, spoon the batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles form and pop, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip pancakes and cook until well colored on other side.

Serve warm and enjoy!