I’ve made these pancakes for special occasions few times before, and let me tell you, they are delicious.  Super healthy, however, they are not.  So this morning, my little sous chef and I set out to make a healthier, wholewheat version, sans refined sugar and butter.  I’m happy to say, they turned out amazingly well!  While not the fluffiest pancakes in the world, they were light, tender, and full of lemony flavour, just the way we like them.

Now, I must admit, I was being a little bit chicken and didn’t go for all wholewheat flour this time around (don’t know what got into me – using white flour is not normally even an option in our house!)  Next time, I’d just go all in and use wholewheat flour only.  Here’s the version we made this morning…

Wholewheat Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups of wholewheat flour
• 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teeny tiny pinch of sea salt
• 1/3 cup of poppy seeds

• 2 cups of skim milk
• 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
• 2 organic egss
• 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of your favourite oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla
• zest of 4 large lemons
• 1/2 teaspoon of pure lemon extract (optional)

Pour milk into a measuring cup or bowl.  Add vinegar and stir gently. Set aside. (Or just use store bought buttermilk instead.)

Measure out all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix well.

In a separate bowl, add all of the wet ingredients, including the homemade buttermilk and lemon zest, and mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined (this is important – do not over mix!)

Cook on a 300 degree griddle, flipping when bubbles begin to form.

Serve with berries and pure maple syrup.

Enjoy!

UPDATE:  Since making these the first time, we now always use only wholewheat flour, and the end result is just as delicious.  Cutting the pure maple syrup down a little too doesn’t hurt a thing and when in a pinch, chia seeds make for a great poppy seed replacement.