Pumpkin Pancakes

This healthy whole-grain pumpkin pancake recipe produces fluffy cakes with a beautiful orange hue from pureed pumpkin and light crunch from toasted pecans. If you want to experiment with different types of whole grains, replace up to 1/2 cup of the whole-wheat flour with cornmeal, oats and/or buckwheat flour. Or add extra fiber and omega-3s by adding up to 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed or chia seeds.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups white whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup toasted chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Whisk flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk egg, buttermilk, pumpkin, pecans, oil, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and whisk just until combined. Resist overmixing—it will make the pancakes tough.
• Let the batter sit, without stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes. As the batter rests, the baking powder forms bubbles that create fluffy pancakes and the gluten in the flour relaxes to make them more tender.
• Coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Without stirring the batter, measure out pancakes using about ¼ cup batter per pancake and pour into the pan (or onto the griddle). Cook until the edges are dry and you see bubbles on the surface, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 4 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining batter, coating the pan with cooking spray and reducing the heat as needed.

Tips

• No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk,” the ratio is 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk; let stand for about 10 minutes before using.
• For the best flavor, toast nuts and seeds before using in a recipe. To toast seeds, sliced or chopped nuts, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. To toast whole nuts, spread in a single layer in a small baking pan and bake in a 350°F oven until golden and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring the nuts or shaking the pan once. Transfer to a small bowl or plate to cool. (When toasting hazelnuts, rub the nuts with a clean kitchen towel as soon as they come out of the oven to remove as much of the papery skin as possible.)
• Try white whole-wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour in baked goods. It’s made from hard white wheat berries, which makes it lighter in color and flavor than regular whole-wheat flour, but with the same nutritional properties. For the best flavor, store it airtight in the freezer.
• The mixture of dry ingredients can be stored airtight for up to 1 month; the batter can be refrigerated for up to 1 day; cooked pancakes can be frozen airtight, in a single layer, for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or oven.