Fluffy Church Cookbook Pancakes

After my husband and I moved from Philadelphia to Boston, I started working at a crisis center. I was oriented by a bright and pretty art therapist. Kind and sincere, she eased my fears. She made me feel welcome. We talked about cooking and traveling which was a welcome diversion from the intense work. 

Before she left for her new life on the west coast, she gave me a copy of her hometown church’s cookbook titled, The Salem & West Hebron United Methodist Churches’ Recipes From The Heart. I knew I'd love this cookbook based on the title alone.  

The diversity of recipes in this little cookbook impressed me. There are recipes for baba ghanoush, African vegetable soup, corn chowder and scrumptious blueberry pancakes. It was the pancake recipe that stood out from the rest. 

Scrumptious Church Cookbook Pancake Recipe

Some Notes: 

Adapted from the The Salem & West Hebron United Methodist Recipes From The Heart Cookbook.

If you have fresh baking powder (at least less than 6 months old), then use 2 teaspoons of it. The smaller amount of baking powder ensures you don't taste it in the pancakes. They'll be just as fluffy and light. Buttermilk is an ideal choice because it helps the pancakes rise.     

Frozen wild blueberries do not have to be thawed. Just sprinkle them on the pancakes as they are cooking. Fresh blueberries are great too. 

This is a great basic pancake recipe to tweak to your favorite additions…nuts, cinnamon, vanilla, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, shredded apples, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, nutella, coconut….the sky is the limit!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk, low fat milk or buttermilk 
• 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed (optional)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder (see notes)
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• A pinch of salt 
• 1-2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• Maple syrup and butter for serving

Instructions

Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add all the other ingredients except for the blueberries. Mix quickly and efficiently to combine, but don't over-mix or the pancakes will be tough.  

Heat a large fry pan or griddle on medium to medium-high heat with a little oil or butter. Drop batter onto the pan (I use 1/4 cup measuring cup for this). Add a sprinkling of blueberries to the top of each pancake. Cook pancakes until bubbles start to form around the sides and their bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side. Serve with butter and your favorite maple syrup. Enjoy!