Best pancakes ever? Maybe. That's what Saveur magazine proclaimed in their special 100 issue. Of course, I did mess with the recipe quite a bit. I figured that as long as I was using flax meal in lieu of eggs, I might as well add some more seeds, and some toasted oat bran to ratchet up the nutty crunch. So I made them a bit more wholesome than intended, but with each pancake cooked in a pat of (vegan) butter, they were still suitably decadent for a weekend breakfast.
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. toasted oat bran
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. soy milk
2 Tbsp. vinegar
4 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. flax meal
6 Tbsp. warm water
In a medium bowl, combine the milk and vinegar and set aside. Whisk the flax meal with the warm water and set aside until thickened. In a large bowl, whisk together the other dry ingredients. Once the milk-vinegar mixture and flax have both thickened, melt the butter, and stir the wet ingredients together. Add the wet to the dry, stirring quickly and firmly to just mix. (I know you've heard it before, but don't over mix your pancakes. Also, once the batter is combined, it's time to cook pancakes, so make sure that your griddle is hot and your breakfast eaters are hungry.) I used a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat to cook the pancakes. I did use a scant tablespoon of butter for almost every one, which resulted in deliciously crisp edges, but it really gives breakfast an almost deep fried feel that I think I'll save for special occasions. As promised, this made 8 large pancakes.
Oh happy weekend!
