Pancakes To Flip For

Photo: flickr user infowidget

Preparation

What could be better than sitting down to a steaming stack of tender, golden pancakes smothered with sweet, sticky syrup on a weekend morning? Simple to make and great-tasting, pancakes are an ideal breakfast.

They're also provide an excellent source of energy, and are also quite low in

But maybe you'd like to expand your pancake repertoire beyond the tried and true?. Check out our ideas for supercharged pancakes - those that have more grain or other ingredients for fiber and nutrient benefits. We've also got some tempting topping ideas, so get flipping!

Feel your oats

Using oats and oat bran are easy ways to boost the nutritional value and fiber content of pancakes.

For a quick and nutritious switch, substitute 1/2 cup of oat bran for 1/2 cup pancake mix, then prepare as usual. Add a little more skim milk if necessary, to make the batter the correct consistency

Combine 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda, 2 cups buttermilk or skim milk and 2 eggs. Combine and let batter stand at room temperature for an hour, or chill overnight so that oats become soft. Prepare as usual.

Flour power

By combining different types of flours, you can increase the nutritional value of pancakes without sacrificing taste. What's more, the ratio of white flour to other flours can be adjusted to your preference. Try replacing part of the white flour called for with soy flour, whole-wheat flour, buckwheat flour, wheat germ or oat bran.

A good, general recipe is: 1 1/2 cups flour (combination of white and whole wheat), 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder, 3 tablespoons sugar or honey, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and approximately 1 1/4 cups skim milk. A combination of flours can also be used in buttermilk pancake recipes.

Pancake add-ins

Jazz up plain old pancakes with these simple additions:

Grated orange rind

Finely chopped nuts

Berries: fresh, dried or drained frozen ones

For kids: try tinting the batter for colored pancakes (great for holidays!)

Finely diced cooked Canadian bacon or ham

Mashed banana (may need to adjust liquid in recipe)

Mashed pumpkin (canned is easiest, may need to adjust liquid in recipe)

Move over maple syrup

Sometimes only maple syrup will do, but for those times when you're hankering for something out of the ordinary to top a stack of cakes, fruit usually fits the bill.

Applesauce (add extra cinnamon if you like)

Berry sauce made from fresh or frozen berries

Bananas or any sliced fresh fruit and a dollop of vanilla yogurt

Fruit butters

Honey (although not nutritionally superior to syrup, it's a nice change)