Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes

Of all of the things I make at home, I probably get the most practice concocting pancakes. As our 3-year-old has become a pickier eater, pancakes (not surprisingly) are one thing of which he has never tired. “What do you want for breakfast?” we ask, and the answer, invariably, is “pancakes!” So I’ve had plenty of time to try different approaches and tweak them to my liking. I prefer to make them with whole wheat flour, but there’s a tendency for such recipes to result in hard, stiff and dense pancakes — even with the more versatile white whole wheat flour. And once I got a taste of the delicious basic pancake recipe from “The Joy of Cooking,” it has been difficult to sacrifice light buttery fluffiness for healthiness.

Then, I was watching The Minimalist (Mark Bittman) in a NYT video, and I learned about the “separate the whites from the yolks and beat the whites” trick. So, this morning, I decided to give it a shot. It turned out fantastically. Recipe after the break.

Light and Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Separate the eggs into two bowls. The whites in a small bowl, the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients into the bowl containing the yolks and whisk together. Whisk the whites, or mix them in a stand mixer, until they form stiff peaks. Dump the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredient bowl, combining until the dry is just moistened. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Make pancakes as usual. I use a nonstick pan with no oil/butter, etc. but do whatever you’re comfortable with. Enjoy!