Whole Wheat Pancakes with Homemade Butter, Buttermilk, Strawberry Sauce and Local Syrup

I trust science-real methodological investigation with results that took every known measurement into account…when it is performed correctly. Of course, I will probably question the methods, think it over and reach the conclusion that it was poorly performed or that I am in agreement, like with politics. But when it’s done correctly, we benefit from the advances. Today’s article is a controversial opinion piece. Let me know what you think of Fear of Science Will Kill Us by Michael Specter, part of TED Talk Tuesday.

I’m not one to eat breakfast. There, I said it. Breakfast is delicious, breakfast is usually on my mind every morning but breakfast, for me, consists of a cup or two of coffee. I have a crazy eating pattern that involves my third meal coming in the evening (a few hours after dinner)-it’s actually a snack but the calorie count is comparable to that of a meal so I consider it one.

Not eating breakfast is how I justify this; I become seriously ravenous in the evening. I know that eating breakfast is supposed to help but I’ve tested it several times and it doesn’t affect how hungry I am and that I want something in the evening so I work with my body’s clock. There’s no fighting it.

But every now and then, like the weekend past, Greg and I eat breakfast together. I’m actually guilty of eating it at all times of the day-it’s a loose term in this household that holds no timeframe.

Come 2,3,5,7 PM, I am craving bacon, eggs and toast or some quiche, a breakfast burrito, waffles, biscuits and gravy or the ever popular pancakes, which happens to be today’s recipe (along with homemade buttermilk, butter, strawberry sauce and topped with syrup made at our friend’s homestead).

With the rarity of this event, I wanted to take it a few steps further and make my own butter and with butter, buttermilk is produced. I had strawberries that were about to turn on me so I made strawberry sauce and I mentioned a few weeks ago that we were given homemade maple syrup-the best that I’ve ever had and so it was pretty much decided for me that buttermilk pancakes were coming. (Even the eggs were from our new friends’ chickens and the honey is local.)

You don’t have to go that far but I’m embarrassed to say that it was actually quick and easy. My KitchenAid mixer did most of the butter/buttermilk work but if you want to workout your arms shake it by hand in a jar. I did this in 4th or 5th grade with my classmates in a club, Little Hoosiers. We also made candles. The remaining liquid is buttermilk-see how pancakes were a no-brainer?

Now for the credit: I followed the butter/buttermilk instructions from One Green Generation (because there were pictures) and Ellie Krieger’s whole wheat pancakes (the best fluffy whole wheat pancake I’ve come across). If you want homemade syrup you’ll have to find some on your own. Sorry.

These pancakes are filling; Greg couldn’t eat more than a few. The sauce can be placed as a layer in cake/sponge cake/muffins/pie/crumble, on ice cream, spread over toast-the possibilities are endless. Very, very easy and it’s a feel-good moment when you make it with your honey or honeys (the fam), especially fulfilling if you make most of the ingredients yourself. I loved this experience.

How To Make Butter and Buttermilk:
Makes about a cup of buttermilk and almost a cup of butter (will vary)

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream

In a mixer with the whisk attachment, begin mixing the cream on low. When it begins to splatter less, mix on a high speed for 5 to 7 minutes, until the butter separates from the liquid. This is the cool part-the dividing and changing of color. You can also shake the cream by hand in a large jar. Strain the liquid (buttermilk now) into a bowl and separate the butter into the strainer. Run water through the butter to rid of the liquid and knead with a spatula until combined. You can add salt if you’d like but I prefer not to so that I can control the amount of salt in my recipe. Place both in separate airtight containers and store in the fridge.

Strawberry Sauce
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
½ lemon’s juice
3 to 4 tbsp sugar
dash of salt

In a pot, over medium heat, place all of the ingredients and cook until the strawberries soften and release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes. Crush, using a fork or masher, until you have the sauce to your desired consistency. Simmer for 5 to 10 more minutes, take off of the heat and cool slightly. Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Ellie Krieger’s Whole Wheat Pancakes
Makes 6 to 8 large pancakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I added another ¼ cup because the batter wasn’t as thick as I wanted)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk- use the homemade for this (recipe above)
3/4 cup milk (preferably low-fat)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
canola oil

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, milk, honey and vanilla.

Coat a large skillet (I used cast iron) with a thin layer of canola oil and heat over low/medium. Allow the skillet to heat for at least 10 minutes for a better chance of even cooking. The first pancake or two are usually not evenly browned but there aren’t any issues with the taste so who really minds.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy. I added another ¼ cup of flour to gain this lumpy batter.

Ladle the batter into the skillet. Flip the pancakes when they are golden brown on the bottom and bubbles form on top, about 2 minutes. Cook the other side until golden brown, about another 1 minute. Keep the pancakes warm in the oven as you finish cooking the remaining ones. Serve with (homemade) butter, syrup and (homemade) strawberry sauce (recipes above).