Whole Wheat Pancakes (with a twist…or 3)

by Tokyo Terrace on October 4, 2009

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Since moving to Japan, I have found that my level of craftiness in the kitchen has increased quite a bit. It is not as convenient (or cost effective) to go to the grocery store and buy ingredients that were commonplace in our kitchen in the U.S. I am grateful for this because it has lead me to developing more unique, interesting recipes that utilize ingredients in new ways. Jam, for example, can become a salad dressing with the addition of a little oil and vinegar. Honey can become more than a sweetener for tea, adding a healthier, natural sweetness to both sweet and savory dishes. Yes, these are things I could easily have learned in a book but to be honest, it is much more fun to make discoveries like this on my own. I also find that I am able to remember these new cooking tricks if they are learned through discovery.

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Today, I wanted to share a couple of examples of turning something ordinary into something a little more special. One thing we do not keep in the kitchen is maple syrup. It is relatively expensive to buy and we do not use it very often. So, using my whole wheat pancake recipe, I wanted to show three different ways to top them off (sans maple syrup) and add a little twist to the batter itself. These ideas are simple and I hope you will be able to develop some of your own creative additions and share your ideas as well.

The first variation mixes lemon zest into the batter of the pancakes. The topping consists only of powdered sugar and lemon juice. The flavor that results is light, slightly sweet but not overpowering, and it looks gorgeous on the plate.

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Second, I took a seasonal fruit, the persimmon, that is everywhere here in Japan right now and added a drizzle of cinnamon infused honey. Persimmons have a consistency similar to a peach, but are slightly less sweet. The bright orange color of the persimmon with the golden brown of the pancakes also makes a beautiful presentation. In the batter for these pancakes, I added 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg. The spices worked beautifully with the fruit and honey topping.

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The last version is just as simple as the first two examples. Using about 1/3 cup of your favorite jam, stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon and a tablespoon of honey and stir to combine. The consistency thins out slightly, making it more like a syrup, and it is wonderful drizzled over the pancakes and topped with a creamy white dollop of creme fraiche and sprinkled with a little nutmeg. I used apple jam for the pancakes in the photos here, but any type will work just fine. As with the batter in the persimmon topped pancakes, I added cinnamon and nutmeg to these as well.

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I hope these ideas help to inspire you to create your own toppings. It is so fun to work with a recipe like this that can be altered slightly to produce something completely out of the ordinary (and requires minimal work!)

For the whole wheat pancake recipe, click here.

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  • http://ashleythinks.wordpress.com/ ashleythinks

    Really nice pictures.
    I am hungry now.

  • http://ashleythinks.wordpress.com ashleythinks

    Really nice pictures.
    I am hungry now.

  • Alec

    It looks amazing. You, and your family are very gifted especially in the fine art of culinary.

    PS I’m going to make this fo’ sho’.

  • Alec

    It looks amazing. You, and your family are very gifted especially in the fine art of culinary.

    PS I’m going to make this fo’ sho’.

  • Scooter

    Hi, Rachel. Great to dine with you and Brad last evening. Looking forward to reading your blog.

    Every time our Japanese secretary has prepared persimmon slices for the office folk to munch on, she has removed the rind. I assumed it was inedible. It looks as though you’ve left it on in your pictures. Maybe she was just a persnickety persimmon peeler.

  • Scooter

    Hi, Rachel. Great to dine with you and Brad last evening. Looking forward to reading your blog.

    Every time our Japanese secretary has prepared persimmon slices for the office folk to munch on, she has removed the rind. I assumed it was inedible. It looks as though you’ve left it on in your pictures. Maybe she was just a persnickety persimmon peeler.

  • http://www.sense-serendipity.blogspot.com/ Divina

    Those pancakes are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your ideas. When it came to your third way of serving these pancakes, I was expecting the fig jam. :) Those are great ways to serve pancakes. There’s more to life than buying very expensive maple syrup.

  • http://www.sense-serendipity.blogspot.com Divina

    Those pancakes are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your ideas. When it came to your third way of serving these pancakes, I was expecting the fig jam. :) Those are great ways to serve pancakes. There’s more to life than buying very expensive maple syrup.

  • http://simplyscrumptiousfoodie.com/ Jessie

    wonderful pancakes, I love how you improvised in the kitchen to create such a delicious breakfast

  • http://simplyscrumptiousfoodie.com Jessie

    wonderful pancakes, I love how you improvised in the kitchen to create such a delicious breakfast

  • http://foodgourmand.blogspot.com/ Karine

    Great pictures and great pancakes! I have never tried persimmons, I should try them sometimes :)

  • http://foodgourmand.blogspot.com Karine

    Great pictures and great pancakes! I have never tried persimmons, I should try them sometimes :)

  • http://eclatdujour.blogspot.com/ Alissa

    I like to put strawberry yogurt on top of pancakes, but I may have to try your method!

  • http://eclatdujour.blogspot.com Alissa

    I like to put strawberry yogurt on top of pancakes, but I may have to try your method!

  • tokyoterrace

    ashleythinks: I’m so glad you liked the post!

  • tokyoterrace

    ashleythinks: I’m so glad you liked the post!

  • tokyoterrace

    Alec: THANK YOU for stopping by! I hope you do make these pancakes!

  • tokyoterrace

    Alec: THANK YOU for stopping by! I hope you do make these pancakes!

  • tokyoterrace

    Scooter: We had a great time with you all as well! Persimmon peels don’t bother me. They are thin and tender enough to each so I don’t bother peeling them. Hope to see more comments from you in the future!

  • tokyoterrace

    Scooter: We had a great time with you all as well! Persimmon peels don’t bother me. They are thin and tender enough to each so I don’t bother peeling them. Hope to see more comments from you in the future!

  • tokyoterrace

    Divina: I definitely thought about using the fig jam! I thought I should branch out though… :)

  • tokyoterrace

    Jessie: Thank you! I have grown fond of improvising. You never know what you can create!

  • tokyoterrace

    Divina: I definitely thought about using the fig jam! I thought I should branch out though… :)

  • tokyoterrace

    Jessie: Thank you! I have grown fond of improvising. You never know what you can create!

  • tokyoterrace

    Karine: Thank you! I hadn’t tried persimmons until last year but I really enjoy them.

  • tokyoterrace

    Karine: Thank you! I hadn’t tried persimmons until last year but I really enjoy them.

  • tokyoterrace

    Alissa: Strawberry yogurt sounds tasty! I like greek yogurt w/a little honey drizzled over the top. Definitely a great way to top pancakes!

  • tokyoterrace

    Alissa: Strawberry yogurt sounds tasty! I like greek yogurt w/a little honey drizzled over the top. Definitely a great way to top pancakes!

  • Jan

    There was a persimmon tree in our yard. I loved sitting under that little tree when I was little. The southern summers were sooo hot and the grass was always cool under it’s canopy. When the persimmons were ripe, there was an additional reason to sit under the tree. So yummy! I haven’t tasted them for years and this recipe has inspired me to seek out a few. Beautiful job with the improvisational recipe and the photography.

  • Jan

    There was a persimmon tree in our yard. I loved sitting under that little tree when I was little. The southern summers were sooo hot and the grass was always cool under it’s canopy. When the persimmons were ripe, there was an additional reason to sit under the tree. So yummy! I haven’t tasted them for years and this recipe has inspired me to seek out a few. Beautiful job with the improvisational recipe and the photography.

  • http://wasabiprime.blogspot.com/ wasabi prime

    I love the fruit topping, especially if it’s something like apple and cinnamon. Have you tried making abelskivers in the takoyaki pans? Your shots of the pancakes with powdered sugar and fruit topping made me think of the little round Danish versions of pancakes, and I swear the pans are the same between the two. The first time I saw an abelskiver pan, I was like, oh for octopus balls, and people looked at me like I was from Mars.

  • http://wasabiprime.blogspot.com wasabi prime

    I love the fruit topping, especially if it’s something like apple and cinnamon. Have you tried making abelskivers in the takoyaki pans? Your shots of the pancakes with powdered sugar and fruit topping made me think of the little round Danish versions of pancakes, and I swear the pans are the same between the two. The first time I saw an abelskiver pan, I was like, oh for octopus balls, and people looked at me like I was from Mars.

  • http://carascravings.wordpress.com/ carascravings

    Your experiences are very similar to my own ,in terms of having to be creative with ingredients. I am currently in South Korea, so essentially, we are neighbors!
    I love all the different fruit seasons, I am looking forward to the oranges again!

  • http://carascravings.wordpress.com carascravings

    Your experiences are very similar to my own ,in terms of having to be creative with ingredients. I am currently in South Korea, so essentially, we are neighbors!
    I love all the different fruit seasons, I am looking forward to the oranges again!

  • thewhitesintokyo

    There’s nothing quite like octopus balls…

    Guess we’ll have to try abelskivers sometime and compare!

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    There’s nothing quite like octopus balls…

    Guess we’ll have to try abelskivers sometime and compare!

    -Brad

  • http://thesophisticatedgourmet.blogspot.com/ Kamran Siddiqi

    Beautiful photos! I just love drooling over everything you make! I love your three twists! Def. have to try it! 😀

  • http://thesophisticatedgourmet.blogspot.com Kamran Siddiqi

    Beautiful photos! I just love drooling over everything you make! I love your three twists! Def. have to try it! 😀

  • Natalie

    I had a craving for pancakes today, found this link through foodgawker, and made your amazing pancakes, topped with persimmons (my favorite)! I had to slightly alter the recipe based on the ingredients I had available (low-fat milk for buttermilk, orange zest for lemon zest), but they were still delicious. Thank you!!!

  • Natalie

    I had a craving for pancakes today, found this link through foodgawker, and made your amazing pancakes, topped with persimmons (my favorite)! I had to slightly alter the recipe based on the ingredients I had available (low-fat milk for buttermilk, orange zest for lemon zest), but they were still delicious. Thank you!!!

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