mixed berry ricotta pancakes

 

i hope everyone had a lovely weekend! the rain has FINALLY stopped in our neck of the woods, or at least i hope so because our basement can't handle much more water. i feel like that was a month straight of rain, but alas the sun is shining & we were able to squeeze in some gardening yesterday afternoon! i don't actually know what i am doing when it comes to gardening (zero green thumb), but so far it is looking pretty good outside. we planted various green plants & lined the garden with a rustic grey stone out front. more importantly we planted blackberries & rhubarb out back! i am really hoping the plants take & i will have fresh fruit straight from my backyard all summer long! eventually we hope to have a full garden, but baby steps. these berry pancakes are a little way to celebrate all that hard work gardening this weekend. i mixed fresh berries both into the batter AND topped them with berries. for the flour i used a mix of bob's red mill white flour & bob's red mill stone groud whole wheat flour. the whole wheat flour gives the pancakes extra nutrients as it is made from dark northern hard red wheat with the bran and germ still intact! lastly, the ricotta cheese makes for the fluffiest pancakes. it is very mild in flavour so it more so offers a unique texture to the base. just don't skip out on whipping those egg whites! a very important step when making the perfect pancakes or waffles.

ingredients

  • 3/4 cup whole ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup bob's red mill white flour, sifted
  • 1/3 cup bob's red mill whole wheat flour, sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 cup fresh berries, roughly chopped
  • fresh berries, for serving
  • maple syrup, for serving

directions

  • in a large mixing bowl whisk together the ricotta, raw sugar, vanilla & egg yolks.
  • slowly whisk in the whole milk until smooth.
  • sift in the white flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder & sea salt. stir until a lumpy batter is formed.
  • in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks until stiff peaks are formed. gently fold this into the batter.
  • fold in the berries.
  • over medium heat grease a skillet & add 1/4 cup of batter. cook until golden brown on each side. repeat this step until no batter remains.
  • top with fresh berries & maple syrup before serving!