Blacksburg Pancakes

Source: Diann Bellamak and Jon Dubovsky

Yield: about 18 five-inch pancakes

Rating: 4/5 - simple, good

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising flour OR

 * 2 cups white flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 Tbsp potato flour (not potato starch), semi-optional
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed, optional
• 2 Tbsp buckwheat flour, optional
• 1/8 tsp. salt, more or less to taste
• 1 cup cottage cheese (low-fat is fine)
• 1 cup yogurt (vanilla works great; if plain, you may have to add a little brown sugar to taste), semi-optional
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. apple pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom)
• milk or soy milk (to thickness)

Directions

• Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except the milk. Blend until fairly uniform (mixture will be lumpy).
• Add milk to achieve proper batter thickness: cake, not crepe. You want the batter to not quite self-level when poured, requiring a little swirl with the back of the ladel to flatten it. Mix to remove lumps, but do not over-mix.
• Ladel onto a lightly-greased griddle or pan over just-above-medium heat. Cook until the bottom browns slightly, then flip and repeat.

Notes

• This recipe easily accepts chopped apples (1 small apple works well), blueberries, or other fresh fruit in the batter. Either fold them in after mixing with the milk or, right after pouring the pancakes onto the griddle, "throw" the fruit into the cakes.
• Don't scrimp on the cottage cheese. Too little and the wonderful fluffy moistness of the pancakes will disappear.
• The potato flour and high temperature is critical for getting a ever-so-slightly crisp brown outside and the proper initial taste; we've made the pancakes without the potato flour many times, though.
• This recipe also makes good waffles if you can manage the tendency to stick.
• We've made this with many variations -- less oil, add a bit of applesauce, more or less cinnamon, Kahlua instead of vanilla extract, throw some chocolate chips in a few for a dessert pancake, you name it.