Escaping the Heat by Pretending It's Fall- Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

I had been craving pancakes for weeks. For me, pancakes always seem like such a hassle. Probably because my electric griddle just doesn't seem to have the staying power it once did, so I end up cooking pancakes in a skillet. Two at a time, which ends up taking me awhile. I'd also, for some reason, been craving pumpkin. I think at the time it had something to do with my desperate yearning for autumn. Not only was it hot, making it natural to look forward to the next, cooler season, but it was also rainy and gray for almost two weeks. This is not common during the summer months in Texas, and it made it look like fall every time I glanced out my window. You knew it wasn't as soon as you stepped outside, and unfortunately I decided to take a walk before I made these pancakes on the most humid day of my life, but I forged ahead with my breakfast of denial anyhow. I just googled up "whole wheat pumpkin pancakes" and went with the recipe that I seemed to have most of the ingredients for, which was Pinch My Salt's recipe from 2007. I made a couple of small adjustments for what I had on hand and went forward into my fake fall meal.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
Recipe from Pinch My Salt; Makes appx. 16

1 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. cake flour
1 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1 C. buttermilk
1 C. canned pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 T. oil
1 t. vanilla
2 T. dark brown sugar

• In a large bowl, whisk together the first eight ingredients (whole wheat flour through nutmeg). In a separate bowl, whisk together the last six ingredients (buttermilk through brown sugar).
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and blend together with a wooden spoon until just combined. Lumps are ok, just make sure all the flour on the bottom of the bowl is mixed in. If batter seems too thick to pour, you can gently stir in a little more buttermilk.
• Drop pancakes by ladleful onto a medium-hot griddle. Pancakes are ready to turn when the edges start to look a little dry and you can see small bubbles forming on the surface.

My notes: I used all white whole wheat flour, soy milk, and light brown sugar. I had to add some extra milk to thin the batter a little, just adding little by little until it seemed easier to work with. Since I used soy milk, a switch to an egg substitute would make this recipe vegan. I used a 1/4 cup to ladle the batter for each pancake.

Feeling Fallish

Sorry the posting has been a little scarce. Things have been a little hectic, and this has been a really terrible week. I'm ready for it to be over. Anyway, this past Saturday, when I was feeling much more chipper, I decided to get myself into the kitchen and do a bit of baking. I have been waiting all year for autumn. All summer long, telling myself that it would be crazy to indulge my craving for pumpkin bread when it's time for berries and things. But the time had finally come, so I pulled out my Grandma's recipe and got to work. The recipe makes two loaves, so I sent one to work with Josh this week. It went over well, as his tiny office ate it all that day. Guess I'll have to pull the recipe out again real soon.

Pumpkin Bread
Family recipe; Makes 2 loaves












3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 can pumpkin puree
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and oil together. Add eggs and pumpkin and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients; add dry ingredients alternately with water.
• Pour into well greased and floured 9" x 5" loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes, or until tests done. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cool.

My notes: The only thing I have to say is that this is probably one of the things I most looked forward to my grandmother making at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it makes me really happy that I'm able to make it now too.