"Have blueberries whenever you are low-destiny will change and you will be high." (Adam Voichester) Being slightly gullible, maybe the solution to getting me out of this unseasonably rainy weather and running injury funk was as simple as eating blueberries. Whether or not they actually do possess some life-changing mystical qualities, they might certainly be a better option than some of the alternatives currently under consideration. With blueberries having the highest antioxidant levels in the entire fruit/vegetable universe, eating the world's healthiest fruit would at least have nutritional value benefits. I guess that would be some consolation if the whole life-changing and experiencing a buzz thing doesn't really happen.
I really do love blueberries. And I really do love pancakes, although not just any pancakes. Take it from someone who has taken bites of more than their fair share of bad ones. For several years now I have been making pancakes using the amazing recipe my sister had discovered in a newspaper. However, I hadn't been adding blueberries to them, preferring instead to be a pancake purist.
If you like the taste of fresh blueberries eaten by the handful or picked fresh off of a blueberry bush, you will gasp at the deliciousness of the oozing with sweetness cooked blueberries in these pancakes. The delirium experienced from eating the blueberries in these pancakes had me realizing that may not have been one of my better decisions. Not exactly the life-changing experience I was hoping for, but going forward my plain pancake days have now come to an end.
Eggs, all-purpose flour, sugar, unsalted butter, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, buttermilk, and now yes, blueberries are all you need to make these fluffy, slightly addictive pancakes. No sifting and no mixers required make it the kind of recipe you can make anywhere.
These are one of those perfect make on vacation pancakes. With the dry ingredients pre-assembled in a ziplock bag, you can pick up the remaining ingredients from any grocery store and/or roadside stand. Not going on vacation? Serving these pancakes to your family and friends will have them feeling as if they were on vacation!
The wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs, melted butter) and gently mixed into the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt) and allowed to rest 10 minutes. The batter should be thick and lumpy. Stirring the batter until smooth will adversely affect the fluffiness of the pancakes. When in doubt, under stir and not over stir.
After the batter rests, the generous two cups of blueberries and again gently mixed into the batter. The batter will deflate slightly. Adding the blueberries after the resting stage ensures your batter does not turn 'blue' or have streaks of 'blue' running through it. Note: Any unused batter can be covered and stored in the refrigerator overnight. The batter will begin to break down if left in the refrigerator longer than overnight.
Cook the pancakes on a non-stick griddle rubbed very lightly with oil. I have used both the All-Clad and (a seasoned) Lodge Cast Iron griddles with great success. Not cooking them in a pan of 'oil or butter' gives you the semi-guilt free option of lathering the pancakes with butter and/or maple syrup. The cooked pancakes can be kept warm in a preheated 200 degree oven.
For those of you who have followed this blog from the beginning, you will recognize this is the same as my first posted recipe. Sometimes recipes are so good they need to resurrected, brought to everyone's attention a second time. This is one of them. And yes, I am one of those who believe redundancy can be a good thing. For those of you new to the blog, this is your lucky day! Maybe even one of those life-changing kind of days.
Recipe
Blueberry Pancakes (original recipe discovered by my sister)
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (Kosher salt is always my preference)
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
2 generous cups of fresh blueberries
Serve with room temperature salted butter, maple syrup, and blueberries
Directions
1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl lightly beat eggs then stir in buttermilk and butter.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients stirring gently with a wooden spoon just to blend. Note: The batter will be slightly lumpy and quite thick.
4. Let the batter rest 10 minutes.
5. Gently add blueberries.
5. Heat a very lightly oiled non-stick frying pan or griddle. Using either large ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure pour to pour batter.
6. Cook 2-3 minutes before flipping. The bottom should be lightly browned or golden when you flip.
7. Once gently flipped, cook until the other side is lightly browned or golden (Another 2-3 minutes).
8. Transfer to a plate or platter to serve. To keep keep pancakes warm, transfer pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a 200 degree (F) oven.
One of my favorite places in Tucson, the historic San Xavier del Bac Mission.
