Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Published on April 18, 2021

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Pancakes get a zingy makeover with my Blueberry Lemon Pancakes! With a few simple tweaks and additions you can have fluffy pancakes, every time.

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

Using whole wheat pastry flour increases the nutrition and fluffy tender goodness of my Blueberry Lemon Pancakes! I used to use all-purpose flour for everything, but each type of flour—cake, all-purpose, whole wheat and pastry—shine in certain applications. This is mostly due to the variance in gluten content, the protein found in wheat.

If you have trouble finding this flour at your grocer, you can purchase Bob’s Red Mill brand online wherever you shop. The first reason I love using it, is because it is whole wheat! Meaning the entire wheat berry—germ, bran and endosperm—is included in the flour. This provides an excellent source of fiber and B-vitamins.

The next reason I love using this flour in my Blueberry Lemon Pancakes is because it makes them extra fluffy and tender! Whole wheat pastry flour is lower in protein and is ground finer than whole wheat flour. The lower protein aka gluten content and fine flour make them more airy lending a light mouthfeel.

Whole wheat flour is not a great replacement, it would make for too dense and dry of a pancake. Alternative flours to use would be white wheat flour or a combination of all-purpose and wheat flour.

Queen of Pancake Toppings

Blueberries are unanimous with pancakes and muffins—why is that? They offer a bite-sized fruit that does not require any chopping. They also hold up to the mixing, where fruits like raspberries would fall apart. Fruits like strawberries and peaches need to be cut before adding, which releases their juices making the pancake soggy and less than ideal.

Blueberry Nutrition

Blueberries are the Queen of antioxidants, they are believed to have one of the highest antioxidant levels among common fruits and vegetables! ¹ The main antioxidants are flavonoids, most notably anthocyanin, which put the “blue” in blueberries. Epidemiological studies associate blueberry consumption with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. ²

If you want even MORE antioxidants, try wild blueberries, which have twice the antioxidants. ³ Most wild blueberries are harvested in the state of Maine, and flash frozen. You can buy them online and at many grocers.

In a 1 cup serving of blueberries you will find 4 grams of fiber, 24% of the RDI (recommended dietary intake) of vitamin C, 36% of vitamin K and 25% of manganese. ⁴ With only 85 calories per cup they are incredibly nutrient dense!

Fresh vs Frozen

Nothing beats fresh Summer blueberries, extra plump and sweet. They make for the best Lemon Blueberry Pancakes, but the Summer season is so short! The other 9-10 months of the year, the blueberries available at the grocer are not always the best. Looking into the clear plastic containers sometimes they look more like raisins than blueberries.

This is when I turn to frozen blueberries. They are great to have handy for my Blueberry Lemon pancakes, Vegan Blueberry Muffins, Berry Baked Oatmeal, and my Acai Smoothie Bowl. The best part is that they will not grow moldy and sad in the refrigerator.

The only important note for using frozen blueberries—make sure to add them to the pancake batter after you pour the batter on the hot pan or griddle. Why is this? The dense, heavy weight of the frozen berry will sink to the bottom of the batter bowl. So once again, add the frozen berry after you pour the batter into the pan or griddle!

Let’s Get Mixing!

Now that we know the benefit of whole wheat pastry flour and blueberries, let’s get mixing! Just like when making muffins, do not overmix the batter. Mix the ingredients just until everything is incorporated. Overmixing will lead to dense, not-so-fluffy Blueberry Lemon Pancakes.

Mix the dry and weight ingredients separate and then add the dry to the wet ingredients. Add the fresh blueberries right before cooking or the frozen blueberries after the batter has been poured onto the preheated pan. My favorite toppings are with maple syrup, fresh blueberries and powdered sugar, but of course add what you like. Enjoy!

References

Wolfe KL, Kang X, He X, Dong M, Zhang Q, Liu RH. Cellular antioxidant activity of common fruits. J Agric Food Chem. 2008;56(18):8418-8426. doi:10.1021/jf801381y
Kalt W, Cassidy A, Howard LR, et al. Recent Research on the Health Benefits of Blueberries and Their Anthocyanins. Adv Nutr. doi:10.1093/advances/nmz065
Liu RH. Dietary bioactive compounds and their health implications. J Food Sci. 2013;78 Suppl 1:A18-25. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.12101
FoodData Central. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171711/nutrients

Blueberry lemon pancakes

4 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, brunch

Keyword: blueberry lemon pancakes, blueberry pancakes, pancakes

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings: servings

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon maple sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Optional: maple syrup fresh blueberries

Instructions

In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a second bowl, whisk together milk, egg, sugar, butter, zest, and juice.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix together till just combined.
Fold in blueberries.
Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat and spray with oil spray or add some butter.
Scoop out ¼ cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on the pancake, approximately 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook on the other side for one minute.
Serve with maple syrup and fresh blueberries.