Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

These made for a quick and easy weekend breakfast. I was a bit bored with my regular breakfast fare, so I decided to try something new. The lemon flavor really comes through and the pancakes are really The blueberries and blackberries definitely make this recipe for me. I’m not big on maple syrup, so I squeezed one of the lemons I used for zest over the pancakes and berries and it was perfect. I am sure syrup could be great, but it’s just not my thing. If fresh berries are hard to come by this time of year, frozen could be used in a pinch, or even a light smear of berry jam (I would recommend blueberry) or lemon curd would go really well with these pancakes.

This recipe yields a lot of batter! I will say that I did thin out the batter quite a bit (the Better Batter got a little gummy on me), but I think I got 14 or 16 pancakes out of it, either way it was way too much for just two people. I know you could increase the amount of batter used in each pancake, but I think the smaller size works a lot better for the fluffiness of the recipe. If the pancakes were bigger, I think they would lose some of that. If you do have to thin out the batter, I would recommend using lemon juice if possible, then water. Lemon juice really adds to the flavor and I think water would dilute that a lot.

 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used Better Batter)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large egg, yolks and whites separated
• 2 Tablespoons sugar, granulated
• 2 Tablespoons lemon zest, or increase to taste
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• cooking spray

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat together buttermilk, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and ricotta cheese by hand.
3. In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
4. Add dry ingredients to buttermilk mixture until just combined; gently fold in egg whites until they are just incorporated.
5. Coat a large nonstick griddle or pan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Spoon batter into pan in batches using about a 1/4-cup batter for each pancake; cook until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side (I found that the gluten free flour took longer). Remove pancakes to a tray in a warm oven and repeat with remaining ingredients