yogurt berry pancakes.

For the first time in a very long time, Tyler and I had a relaxing and leisurely Saturday morning in our own apartment.  We slept in until nine, walked over to the neighborhood farmers market to stock up on produce, and came back to make pancakes and large glasses of ice coffee. 

Generally, I don’t like pancakes or waffles for breakfast.  I prefer eggs.  Poached, over easy, fried, scrambled, it doesn’t matter (and the eggs must include a side of buttered toast).  But on occasion I get a hankering for pancakes – this usually happens when I have a fridge stocked with berries and yogurt and a lazy weekend ahead of me.

I used the wonderful Mark Bittman’s pancake recipe as my starting point to which I added ground cinnamon and ginger to the batter (those spices work so well with berries).  I also used a combination of Greek yogurt and milk  (instead of just milk) since it gives a nice tang to the batter.  Each pancake was loaded with blueberries and strawberries, which made for a very patriotic breakfast. 

Yogurt Berry Pancakes
Recipe Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything

Serves 2

Mark Bittman’s cookbook is necessary for every home cook to own.  Every recipe in the book provides the perfect foundation for you to customize based on personal preference.  This pancake recipie is my go to and I have adapted in many different ways.  Here I used berries and yogurt but I also adore it with late summer peaches and buttermilk.  

1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 egg
¾ cup plain yogurt (I used Greek Yogurt)
¼ - ½ cup milk (depending on the yogurt you use you may need more milk to thin the batter)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup assorted berries plus more for serving

Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you make the batter.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon zest.  Beat the egg into your milk and yogurt mixture.  Gently stir this into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten the flour.  If the batter is thick, add more milk. 

Butter or spray your skillet.  When the skillet is hot, ladle the batter onto the skillet, making the pancakes your choice in size (I usually go for about 4 inches in diameter).  Layer your berries on top of the batter while the pancake cooks, about 2-4 minutes.  You’ll know its ready to flip when bubbles begin to appear around the edges.  Flip the pancake over and cook until the second side is lightly browned.  Top with maple syrup and more berries!