Baked Whole-Wheat Strawberry and Blueberry Pancakes

The summer's first few pints of fresh local strawberries don't often make it past the bowl into a recipe, but the idea of baked strawberry pancakes can usually provide an occasion. One of my most popular recipes, and a personal favourite as well, these simple pancakes are soft, creamy and slightly chewy with a light crispy exterior, and so easy to make that they're always worth a reprise or a variation with other fresh fruits …

… such as blueberries, of which I had plenty juicy specimens on hand. This time around I decided to use whole-wheat flour to preserve the vitamin, mineral and protein nutrients and dietary fiber found in the wheat bran and germ that are removed to make refined flour. But while a far superior food, whole-wheat flour is a "heavier" product than white flour, and does not rise as well during baking without assistance. Soaking the flour at room temperature overnight in good, plain whole-fat yogurt "leavens" the whole-wheat pancake batter and results in a light and fluffy dough that smells so delicious you'll be tempted to bake it right away. The yogurt soaking has the additional benefit of helping to break down the phytates found in the wheat bran — these phytates bind with minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc, and block their absorption into the body.

The oils found in the bran also makes whole-grain flours particularly susceptible to rancidity, which is why I recommend buying flours milled close to the source and storing in the freezer. Readers who live in London, Ontario can find locally sourced flours located in the freezers at Grains, Beans and Things, or pre-order flours milled right at the store.

While I'm in a food-nannying role, I'll add to always look for non-homogenized whole-fat yogurts without added gums or stabilizers. Whey should separate easily in a good yogurt, indicating live, healthy and active cultures. Saugeen Country and Hewitt's Dairy Goat's Milk yogurts are both healthy and delicious choices for Ontario readers.

On the other hand, these beautiful pancakes are meant to be savoured, not calculated … so please do enjoy!

Baked Whole-Wheat Strawberry and Blueberry Pancakes

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup plain whole-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons butter
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved (or quartered if they are very large)
1 pint blueberries
icing sugar (optional)

Combine the flour and yogurt together in a small mixing bowl. Cover and leave 8 hours or overnight at room temperature

Heat an oven to 425°. Place 1 tablespoon of butter in each of two deep 9-inch pie plates. Put in oven to melt.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and baking powder into the flour and yogurt mixture.

Fold the egg whites into the batter. Remove the pie plates from the oven and pour half of the batter into each. Arrange the strawberries and blue on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden on top.

Remove from the oven. Run a rubber spatula around the edges and slide the pancakes onto a serving plate. Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired, and serve immediately.

Other pancake ideas you may enjoy:
Baked Strawberry Pancakes
Baked Blueberry Peach Pancakes
Blueberry & Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
Vanilla Oat Pancakes

On the top of the reading stack: The Frog and Toad Collection Box Set by Arnold Lobel

Audio accompaniment: Structures from Silence by Steve Roach