Faintly Fruity Pancakes

Every now and again, I try to make something in the kitchen only to find I’m out of a particular ingredient, or perhaps, just do not have quite enough for the recipe.  I hate it when that happens, because then I have to either drop everything and run to the store for one item, or substitute an item.

Recently, I have discovered the wonderful qualities of buttermilk in my cooking.  I have made several delicious batches of cat-head biscuits (yes, that’s really what they are called) and the whole family loves buttermilk pancakes for breakfast.  I forgot to pick up buttermilk at the store the other day, and although you can adjust the recipe to use regular milk, it just isn’t the same.  I began making pancakes the other morning, and I decided to experiment – not always the wisest thing to do first thing in the morning when you have a whole crowd of hungry people, but I did it, nonetheless. :)

What could I use instead of buttermilk.  I have tried adding vinegar to regular milk, and while it does curdle a bit, the consistency is not thick and creamy like that of buttermilk.  I opened the fridge, and had an epiphany!  I snatched a carton of fruity greek yogurt, and debated whether or not this was a good idea.  In the end, my creativity won out over my caution, and I dumped the yogurt into my batter bowl. 

To my great surprise, the pancakes had a very similar texture to the buttermilk version, but with a slightly fruity flavor due to the mixed berries in it.  It also had the added benefit of a little extra protein, since I used the greek yogurt.  Everyone loved them, and I now have another recipe to share!

Faintly Fruity Pancakes

2 eggs

2-1/2 c. Yogurt/milk mixture (Place the whole serving of Greek yogurt in the measuring cup and add enough milk to make up the rest of the measure)

1 tsp. baking soda

2-1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. sugar

1/4 c. oil

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Preheat skillet or griddle to 375 F.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs well.  Add the yogurt/milk mixture and baking soda and blend together until creamy.  Add flour, sugar, oil, baking powder, and salt, and beat until smooth.  Cook, turning once when bubbles begin to appear on the uncooked surface, but before they pop.  This recipe makes 16-20 pancakes.  The recipe can be halved, but it will affect the thickness of the yogurt/milk mixture, so you will have to compensate.

I love trying a new recipe and actually succeeding with it!  If you try these, let me know what you think!