Pamela Braun - High-Protein Pancakes: Strength-Building Recipes for Everyday Health

CONTENTS Pancakes. Is there any other food so synonymous with breakfast? Is there one more universally liked than pancakes? I would argue the answer to both of these questions is no. The pancake is the king of breakfast. The biggest downside to eating pancakesaside from when the stack is goneis that they can be carbohydrate lumps that sit like rocks in your stomach. Often heavy and dense, they may make you want to go back to bed once youve finished eating them. Thats fine if its going to be a lazy weekend, but what if youve got things to do? You probably grab a bowl of cereal or some scrambled eggs instead.

But what if I were to tell you that on those run-around kind of days you could have your (pan)cake and eat it too? These pancake recipes were developed with busy lives in mind. Theyre loaded with protein so you dont get that carb-loaded, bloated, sleepy feeling, and you can keep going through your day. These pancake recipes were created with flours and other ingredients that are naturally higher in protein than what pancakes are usually made from. I did not use protein powder in them. If you would really like to boost the protein in these recipes, you could add a scoop of your favorite protein powder for even more protein in each serving. Some of the recipes in this book make four servings of pancakes.

If you arent feeding that many people, no worriesyou can freeze the pancakes for later. Just make the pancakes as you normally would. Let them cool completely, then layer them between pieces of waxed paper. Slide the pancakes into a zip-top bag and place them in the freezer. To re-heat, you can do a couple of things. You can let them thaw, then heat them in a skil-let or you can pop the frozen pancakes into the microwave for a minute.

Just remember to remove the waxed paper regardless of which method you use. If there is a topping that goes with the recipe of pancakes you are freezing, you can make up the topping and refrigerate it for up to a week. Otherwise, youll need to make the topping fresh when youre re-heating the pancakes. INGREDIENTS The ingredients in some of these pancakes may sound strange (they arent your typical all-purpose flour, egg, and milk recipes), but they give the pancakes a boost of protein. Like I said, I didnt use protein powder in any of these pancake recipes. Ingredients like spelt flour, oatmeal, kefir, and cottage cheese provide a serious serving of protein and are a lot less processed.

It isnt that I dont like protein powderI just wanted to use whole ingredients to deliver the protein in these pancakes. These ingredients are readily available either in your local grocery store (and if they dont carry something, ask them to order it) or online. It was important to me to create recipes that could be easily duplicated in your kitchen. TIPS FOR THE PERFECT PANCAKE Fresh ingredients are the best ingredients. It makes a big difference in the finished pancake if your flour, baking soda, baking powder, eggs, and milk/nut milk are fresh. Especially the baking soda and baking powder.

Old products can leave you with flat, crepe-like discs instead of fluffy pancakes. For the fruit pancakes, it is best to use fresh, in-season produce. If thats not possible, you can use frozen, thawed fruit. I like to use fresh fruit because the flavor is a bit better, especially when it comes to peaches. Dont overmix the batter. Mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl in order to thoroughly mix the leavening agent(s) throughout the mix.

Then add the wet ingredients and mix those in until everything is wet. Its okay if your batter is a little lumpy. If you overmix the batter, youll develop the gluten and your pancakes will be tough. Some of these recipes call for using a blender to mix the ingredients. I used a high-speed blender, but you can use any blender that you have. You only need to blend the ingredients until theyre broken down and thoroughly mixed.

This doesnt take long. While I know it can be really convenient to make your pancake batter in advance, the ingredients in these pancakes dont work as well when you make them ahead of time. The batter has a tendency to absorb all of the moisture and become too thick to pour. I recommend you make the batter when youre ready to make and eat the pancakes. I used a griddle to prepare my pancakes, but you can use a frying pan if thats what you have. If you use a frying pan, you may not be able to make as many at the same time so it will just take you a bit longer to cook all the pancakes.

Youll notice that the recipes call for spray oil. This is vegetable oil. I dont use the traditional butter to make my pancakes because butter has a low smoke point and can cause your pancakes to burn before theyre cooked through. The vegetable oil has a higher smoke point, so your pancakes are able to cook through and not burn as easily. Some of these pancakes have a really wet batter and take a little extra time to cook (its noted in the recipe) so the vegetable oil is perfect in this case. You will need to re-spray the pan or griddle in between each batch of pancakes so that they dont stick.

I also used a cup when measuring out and pouring my batter. The number of pancakes listed with each recipe is based on a full -cup measure, although you may get more pancakes if you dont fill your measuring cup as full. Make sure that all of your pancakes are uniform in size. This way they will all cook at the same rate. Youll know when its time to flip the pancakes by watching the bubbles that form as well as the edges of the pancakes. The bubbles form deep holes and the edges begin to look dry when the pancakes are ready to be flipped.

This does take a little practice, so dont be discouraged if your first few pancakes come out over- or undercooked. Pancakes taste their best when they are hot. As you take them off the griddle or pan, place them onto an oven-safe plate, then place the plate into an oven preheated to 275F. This will keep them nice and warm for serving. Creating the recipes for this book has been a delicious adventure. I hope you enjoy eating these pancakes as much as I enjoyed making them.

All nutritional information is per serving and is approximate. These Red Velvet Pancakes arent as rich as their namesake cake but have the same flavor and a lot more protein. Theyre rich and chocolatey and the topping tastes a lot like cream cheese frosting. Top them off with chocolate shavings or chips for even more chocolate flavor. Topping cup plain kefir 2 tablespoons powdered sugar Pancakes 1 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened) 1 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted) 1 cups 2% low-fat milk 1 large egg 1 teaspoon red food coloring Chocolate shavings or chips, for serving For the topping, add both ingredients to a small bowl and stir until combined. Set aside.

For the pancakes, add all items to a high-speed blender and blitz on high to liquefy. Make sure everything is well blended. Let the batter rest for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows all of the ingredients to come together and gives the batter a better consistency. Spray a non-stick skillet or griddle generously with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the batter using a -cup measuring cup and pour the batter into the skillet to make the pancake.