Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

During the winter I did lots of baking, especially muffins so that we would have breakfast on hand to add variety to our morning meals.  Man, or child, cannot live on cereal alone.  During the summer though the thought of using my oven for extended periods of time just makes me way too hot.  So pancakes are a great alternative.  My kids love them and these particular pancakes have become a staple.  My hubby and I love them because they are delicious all on their own- no syrup needed.  That's a good thing all around in my opinion.  I like to make lots of different flavored ones- blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, peach, vanilla with chocolate chips, etc.  There are so many possibilities because there are so many different varieties of yogurt.  Sometimes I use Greek yogurt other times I use light yogurt.  It just depends on my mood and what I have on hand.  

(pictured, clockwise from left: key lime topped with whipped cream, blueberry, and raspberry)

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

Makes about 12 pancakes

2 large eggs

1 cup yogurt (any flavor or style, fat free, whole fat, Greek, you choose)

2 to 4 Tbsp milk

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Butter for skillet

Whisk egg and yogurt together in a large bowl. If using a thin yogurt, do not add any milk. If using a regular yogurt, add 2 tablespoons milk.  If using a thick, Greek-style yogurt, add 3 to 4 tablespoons milk. Use a flavored yogurt, to achieve different flavors.  I have also done a key lime pie flavored pancake using key lime pie yogurt, ¼ cup plus a dash of lime juice (adding no milk) and adding about ½ tsp lime zest.  It was a more subtle flavor than I had hoped for but it was still delicious.

Whisk in melted butter and vanilla extract. In a separate, small bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet only until dry ingredients are moistened. A few remaining lumps is fine.

Melt a pat of butter in the bottom of a skillet over medium heat.  Scoop slightly less than ¼ cup batter into your skillet leaving room between pancakes. The batter is thick, so gently flatten the pancake using a spatula or I use my ¼ cup measuring cup that I use to scoop the batter out to flatten them.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the pancakes are dry around the edges and bubbles form on top.  Flip and cook for about 3 more minutes.  If the pancakes are cooking too quickly, lower the heat because if they cook too fast the center will be under cooked since the pancakes are on the thicker side. Keep the pancakes in a warm oven as they are done cooking, until you are ready to eat.

Note: These are perfect to make in large batches and freeze.  I place wax paper in between the pancakes and freeze them in a ziploc bag.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen Blueberry Yogurt Multi-grain Pancakes