The Pancake Crisis I Had On Father’s Day (And the Fix That Saved Weekend Breakfast!)

I had a little crisis on Father’s Day, and unlike the week that proceeded it, it did not relate to a feverish toddler who landed himself in our bed (and proceeded to be well enough at 5 a.m. to stand up and announce the different parts of our face as he poked them “NO” “EYEAR” “AYE” “MOUF”), the gutting of our (single) bathroom so that plumbers could access a wayward pipe in the building or the thin film of dirt left on every surface of every room when they were done working. No, by Father’s Day, most of those things had thankfully righted themselves, leaving only crises of less grave proportions: the blueberry pancakes I’d always known and loved no longer worked for me.

I mean, they work, in terms of technically executing what they’re supposed to. They’re a bit runnier than I remembered, thus making it difficult to flip and bake them through cleanly, but they’re hardly worth complaining over, or so felt the Dad of Honor who found them–as he is contractually obligated to–delicious. We ate our pancakes, showered him with gifts and set off for the playground. But I couldn’t stop thinking about them; they didn’t sit right and I realized that it had less to do with the recipe and more to do with … me. I’ve changed.

Suddenly, using all white flour in a breakfast baked good felt a little funny. I’m not saying I’ve sworn it off — heavens, no! — but once you figure out ways to tuck more grains into baked goods without compromising their flavor, it’s hard not to do so regularly. And buttermilk, lordy, I love buttermilk. But I don’t always have it around and yet I always have yogurt around. And doesn’t yogurt somehow seem more fitting for breakfast? New decade, new pancake, I concluded. I would embrace change!

And so on Monday, long after the last blueberry pancake had been inhaled (I told you we liked them), I got back to work and these, these are my jam, um, I mean, the kind of blueberry pancakes I’m more enthusiastic about these days. Two grain flours a big helping of plain yogurt and absolutely no compromise on flavor, texture or deliciousness, especially when draped with maple syrup. Loads of it. What? I never said I ate pancakes like a grown-up, did I?

Blueberry Yogurt Multigrain Pancakes

At-a-glance

Ingredients

Melt half of the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the second tablespoon of butter until melted. This keeps your butter from being too hot when you next want to add it to the wet ingredients.

Whisk the egg and yogurt together in the bottom of a medium or large bowl. If you’re using a thin yogurt, no extra milk is needed. For regular yogurt, stir in 2 tablespoons milk. For thick or Greek-style yogurt, add 3–4 tablespoons milk. Whisk in the melted butter, lemon zest and vanilla extract.

In a separate small bowl, combine the whole wheat, all-purpose, and barley (or rye) flours with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet only until the dry ingredients are moistened; a few lumps are fine.

Preheat your oven to 200°F and have a baking sheet ready to keep pancakes warm. Heat a skillet or sauté pan over medium. A cast-iron skillet is preferred. Melt a pat of butter in the pan and ladle a scant 1/4 cup (about 3 tablespoons) batter at a time, leaving space between pancakes.

Press a few blueberries into the top of each pancake. The batter is thick, so you may need a spoon or spatula to nudge it flat; pressing on the berries often spreads the batter enough. When the pancakes are dry around the edges and bubbles form on top, about 3–4 minutes, flip them and cook another ~3 minutes, until golden underneath. You’ll hear blueberries pop and sizzle after about a minute.

If pancakes cook too quickly, lower the heat. Transfer finished pancakes to the warm oven; leave them there until you’re ready to serve.

Serve in a tall stack with your chosen fixings. Do not expect leftovers.

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