Mini Buckwheat Pancakes

Creatures of habit comprise our little household. Every day, we follow the exact same bedtime routine. Every Saturday, we go to the same cafe for breakfast. Of course, we almost always order the same things. And every Sunday, I make mini pancakes. It is the way of things for us. We adore routine.

I’ve been making these pancakes for years, and along the way I’ve experimented with various recipes and settled onto this one that is pretty much all mine at this point.

They are diminutive and not too sweet. The buckwheat flour lends an earthy, almost nutty flavor (there are no pistachios in the recipe, but I put them there for scale). We usually eat them plain, but sometimes will add maple syrup and butter. Or a smidgen of jam. On special occasions we’ll bust out the whipped cream.

The key, I’ve found is in the half-and-half and milk combination. I’ve tried all sorts of blends of milk, whipped cream, water and buttermilk, and I think I’ve hit upon the exact creamy ratio. These pancakes are fluffy and light, but not too light. So good.

Buckwheat pancakes
yields about 20 mini pancakes that are about 3 inches in diameter

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk (I use 1%)

1. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk together

2. Mix egg into melted butter, then add half-and-half and milk

3. Slowly pour liquid mixture into flour mixture and stir together until just combined. Do not over mix the batter.

4. Melt a little butter in a skillet or on a griddle over medium heat, just for the first batch. Pour little circles of batter and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes per side for the first batch (the buttery batch, as we call it). Subsequent batches will take less time – more like a minute per side.

That’s it! These are usually a big hit with the little ones and I have fed many little ones these pancakes :-).