Friday Morning Pancakes

Okay so I know what you’re thinking, “It’s Tuesday Nicole, why are you writing about Friday?”. Well the name for these pancakes is special because of Friday. Friday is the day that you look forward to all week long, the day before the weekend, the taste of the few sweet days of freedom you get on those glorious two days called Saturday and Sunday. Friday is even better when you’re a college student because if you play your cards right, or the schedule gods grant you mercy, you don’t have classes on Friday. So when you wake up on that Friday morning, it feels like the weekend is arrived, and what’s more weekend-y then pancakes?

One of the most popular and easiest ways to make pancakes is from a mix. My mom makes the most amazing pancakes from Bisquick, while my Grandpa uses the tried and true Krusteaz. I love both of these in their own individual ways, but as you know now, I try to avoid using mixes when I can because they can contain preservatives, unnecessary additives, and just scary ingredients that you can’t pronounce. Therefore, I set out to make a from scratch recipe that was not only as good as the pancakes that I had growing up, but were better for me as well.

A simple healthy trade that you can make to anything that includes flour (including these pancakes of course) is to use whole wheat flour. I personally would recommend white whole wheat flour. It is much milder in flavor, but contains all the goodness that whole wheat has to offer. In this recipe, I combine both all purpose flour and white whole wheat flour, because as Official Test Taster David will tell you, whole wheat pancakes don’t work… ever.

The secret ingredient in these pancakes is greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has recently become extremely popular in the foodie world, and most grocery stores carry all kinds of flavors and brands. What is greek yogurt exactly? It is yogurt that has been strained, which gives it the consistency of something between traditional yogurt and cheese. Plain greek yogurt, taste sort of like sour cream, except with less tang. Do not make the mistake I did and think it would taste like vanilla yogurt because you are in for a major surprise! However, it gives an amazing lightness to baked goods, and like sour cream, is nearly undetectable flavor wise in recipes. Plus it’s super good for you and most varieties contain no fat! Definite win!

Don’t be thrown off by the fact that I’m throwing a “healthy” recipe at you because trust me, these pancakes do not taste like health food. They are perfectly sweet, without being overly so, and light and fluffy like all good pancakes should be. Just because they’re good for you (mostly, I mean you are going to put a little butter and/or syrup on them) doesn’t mean they aren’t delicious as well. So when you find yourself with a little extra time in the morning, no matter what day of the week it is, try these Friday Morning Pancakes!

Friday Morning Pancakes – adapted from this recipe

Makes 8-10 3″ Pancakes

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 egg

3 tablespoons of plain greek yogurt

Place a griddle or skillet on medium heat and spray with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk the egg into the milk and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Then add in the greek yogurt and stir until it is incorporated. If the batter seems too thick, just add a little bit more milk or water.

Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle or skillet. When you start to see little bubbles forming around the edges, flip the pancake, about 3-4 minutes and cook the other side, just 2-3 minutes more or until as brown as you like.

Serve them however you like with butter and/or real maple syrup (none of that fake stuff, don’t you dare… go buy real maple syrup, you’ll thank me later). I’ve also put apple butter on them and even honey, just experiment with what you like!

*Cook’s Notes: You can use just all purpose flour for this recipe if you don’t have white whole wheat flour. The amount of cinnamon is to your liking, I personally can always add more cinnamon. Also, you can use any kind of milk you like. I have used both regular 2% and soy milk with this recipe and had equally delicious results! And if you wanted to throw in, oh I don’t know, mini chocolate chips or something I wouldn’t be against it Enjoy!