These pancakes are a great way to take advantage of blueberries at the height of season, when they are the least expensive and most tasty. Our Lisbon Lemon EVOO adds a subtle, complimentary, lemony note that plays beautifully with the blueberries. Like Grilled Elote, Zucchini Bread, and Caprese, Blueberry Pancakes are another great summer tradition—we hope you enjoy them!
This is more of a hacked recipe, as we modify our favorite pancake mix, but the key is the method: berrying post-pour! It means that when the blueberries heat up, the juice they release does not seep into the pancake and sog it up, but instead evaporates on the pan when cooking berry side down, both condensing the flavor of the berry and resulting in a crisp & fluffy pancake.
As these pancakes can really be loaded up with blueberries, we like to think they're practically good for you—especially if you add a bit of fresh ground flax seed or chia seeds to the batter (see variations below)!
INGREDIENTS:
Your favorite pancake mix (Bob's Red Mill & King Arthur both make great mixes, including gluten free—use whatever mix you prefer, or make your own)
Fresh blueberries (one pint serves 2-4 people, depending upon how much you berry)
Buttermilk (sub for milk in the box recipe, or use milk, with a little lemon juice squeezed in to curdle it and bring up the acidity, yielding a fluffier pancake)
Lisbon Lemon EVOO (sub for melted butter/oil in the box recipe)
Maldon Sea Salt for finishing (optional, but you won't regret it)
For serving: crème fraiche (blend with a little Lisbon Lemon EVOO and/or lemon juice to bump up the lemony flavor), yogurt, maple syrup, butter, powdered sugar, berry compote, or whatever else you like!
Follow the recipe on your pancake mix with the substitutions above.
Preheat a seasoned cast iron pan (we do 15 minutes on medium on our stove—you may need to adjust this on your own, you want it hot but not smoking—and turn it down a notch to cook). You will not need to add any butter or oil to the pan for cooking, and they should brown perfectly.
Also preheat your oven to 175F and put in a cookie sheet with parchment paper to heat up—you’ll keep the cooked pancakes warm in here until all are ready to serve. (We only recommend this step when 2-3 people are having pancakes; for 4 or more people pancakes should be eaten immediately, as they just don’t stay hot enough otherwise.)
We like to make one large pancake at a time, but you can make them any size, and as many you want and your pan can handle. When the pan is ready, pour the batter slowly into the pan be rewarded with a cool design. Add blueberries throughout the whole pancake, with just a little space around each berry—approx 1/8th of an inch. This is great as a 2 person job, especially if you have eager helping hands hovering around—one pourer, one berrier. When adding the berries, know that the batter will continue to spread a bit, so plan ahead!
Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until beautifully browned, then transfer to the oven to stay warm or eat hot from the skillet!
VARIATIONS:
Sub Persian Lime EVOO for the Lisbon Lemon and mix in/top with toasted coconut.
In fall and winter, use Blood Orange EVOO, with a dash of cinnamon, vanilla, and a handful walnuts or pecans mixed into the batter instead of blueberries!
Chia or ground flax seeds can also be added to the batter, to bump up nutritional value. Add 1 teaspoons of chia or ground flax seeds for each cup of dry mix, adding a bit more buttermilk to balance out their absorbent qualities.
