“Good For You” Buttermilk Pancakes

While pancakes might not rank high on the “bad for you” list of foods, they wouldn’t necessarily be considered health foods either. And the problem is, to make them “healthy”, you typically result in pancakes more suitable as use for door stops or hockey pucks.

This is due to the overuse of whole wheat flour and the under use (or elimination) of much-needed dairy. But by substituting all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour, you get the benefits of whole wheat flour, without its heavy handedness.

As for the dairy, a mix of buttermilk and fat-free Greek yogurt lends that all-important “tang” that all pancakes crave, with much less fat.

These pancakes are light, fluffy and delicious. They come together quickly and freeze beautifully.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (may substitute all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon maple syrup
¼ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk butter, egg, vanilla, buttermilk, maple syrup and yogurt till smooth.
2. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients till just incorporated.
3. Heat a griddle over medium heat; spray with non-stick cooking spray. Dollop 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake and cook till dry around the edges. Flip and cook till light golden brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.