Last Monday night, like so many nights, I left work at 5:30, got home about 6:15, and immediately started cooking dinner. It also happened to be a night we had breakfast for dinner – pancakes, specifically.
We don’t often have pancakes for dinner, but when I realized our freezer stash was low over the weekend I knew I’d need to make more. You see, my girls eat pancakes for breakfast almost every morning before we leave for daycare/school/work. They’re kind of a necessity in our house. I make big batches (usually on weekends) and freeze them for later. Just another working mom hack I’ve developed over the years to save us money and make sure my girls have a breakfast they love.
So Monday night, I made a HUGE batch of pancakes – probably close to 6 dozen by the time I was done. I made enough for dinner, stopped for bedtime, then finished cooking once my girls were in bed. I told you – it was a lot of pancakes.
The thing is – I know that I could buy frozen pancakes. I am a mom that loves a good shortcut and have bought them plenty of times. But my girls LOVE my pancakes. And I love my girls.
So I spend my time, whether it be on a weekend morning or a weekday night, cooking up big batches of pancakes. As a working mom, I don’t get to spend a ton of time with my girls during the week. I don’t get to take them to tea parties or the zoo on a random weekday. I do my absolute best to shower them with love in the time we have together and package up just a bit of it for the times we aren’t.
Cooking has always been connected to love for me, and these pancakes have a lot of ingredients, but more importantly, a lot of love. In giving them this simple breakfast every morning, I know that no matter what the day holds (or how insane it is getting out the door by 7:10 am), I’ve shown them I love them, in this tiny little way.
So I could buy the frozen pancakes… but I think I’ll keep serving them up some extra love instead.
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
Yield 48 pancakes
A big batch of pancakes, perfect to make ahead and freeze! This recipe is quadrupled and slightly adapted from the original.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 quart low-fat buttermilk
2 cups milk (your choice - any dairy milk will work)
1/4 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/2 stick of butter or so to grease the griddle
Instructions
Preheat a large griddle to 325 degrees. You could also use a large frying pan, but a griddle is faster!
Add flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to an extra large bowl. Stir to combine (kids are great for helping with this - Abbie always helps me!).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg whites together. Add oil and beat again before slowing addint the buttermilk and milk.
Slowly add liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until combined - there shouldn't be any large chunks, but small ones are okay!
Melt 1/2 Tbsp butter on the griddle. Drop batter on the griddle (I like to use a 1/4 cup measure) to form the pancakes. Cook until small bubbles form on top and edges look cooked, then flip and cook for another minute or so, until fully cooked through.
Repeat until you use all the batter. Enjoy!
If freezing: let pancakes cool completely, then stack with wax paper between them and freeze in gallon size zip up bags. These should last you a few weeks depending on your family's appetite!
Notes
Recipe is originally from Cooking Light, but I've made just a few adjustments!
Courses Breakfast
Cuisine American
