Not sure where to even start here. This last week I’ve taken a break from posting to stop and pay attention to what’s going on back in my home country, and now all around the world. It’s been hard to be so far from it all here in Istanbul. But I’m listening, I’m learning, I’m reflecting and I’m feeling a lot. And while I have no idea what to say right now, and probably won’t say the right thing, I know that staying silent is not the answer either. My voice is small and my following tiny, but I’m here and pledging to continue to actively educate myself and especially my little ones, who are the voices of tomorrow, on how we can do better for our brothers and sisters, our friends and members of our own family who battle injustices everyday. I will continue to follow through not just with words or Instagram posts but in everyday life to be an active, loving ally to those facing this ugly monster that is racism.
And in a small gesture of admiration and love, today I thought I’d share a recipe from one of my favorite sites, Britney Breaks Bread. She has a great following and for good reason, her recipes and food photos are stunning and drool worthy. You can take a look here and here and see what I’m talking about. Britney definitely has raised the bar for me, inspiring big-time food blog goals. For that, I’m grateful. And very happy she shares the recipes too.
Today’s particular recipe, her Orange Poppy Seed Pancakes, are no exception. Her photo of the pancake stack paired with the oranges, whipped ricotta and chocolate shavings had me at first glance. I had never made anything with this combo before and I don’t know why not. They are so delicious. I only made the slightest of changes either due to ingredient necessity or to assist those using weighted measurements. The two things I absolutely didn’t touch are the star ingredients- the orange and poppy seeds. The orange is really something special in these and is brought out perfectly with the use of the zest plus the juice. Just wait till you smell them cooking on the pan. And the poppy seeds add a fun little pop of color and texture.
They are not as fluffy as some of my usual pancakes are, but somewhat very slightly resemble a light crepe while still very much being a pancake if that makes sense. And that little factor makes it so easy to go for bite after bite. I’m telling you, eating the first one right off the pan didn’t stop at my usual sample taste. And then my kids swooned over them just as much. In fact my son said, these might be the best pancakes I’ve made.
But then, pair them with the toppings and wow, just wow. These were out of this world, delicious. Britney made hers with a whipped ricotta. But since good ricotta is hard to come by here or quite spendy, I instead just served them with a side of homemade orange marmalade and Whipped Honeyed Yogurt. Yum. My littlest was quite happy with just a drizzle of pure maple syrup. But Mr T. did his up just right, slathering the tops with an even layer of the marmalade and then a nice schmear of the honeyed yogurt. I love that he is an adventurous eater who loves all the garnishes.
These are definitely being added to our pancake rotation and I hope you will give them a try too. Don’t have oranges? As much as I think you must try the orange, they’d be delightful with lemon too, though reduce the juice a little. And if you don’t have poppy seeds, I think they can easily be omitted or try replacing them with maybe some chia seeds.
Here is the original recipe and the photos that should do the trick in enticing you to make these. Be sure to take a look and browse some of her other gorgeous captures while you’re there.
Peace. Love. And Happy Eating.
Orange Poppy Seed Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups milk, room temp
- 1 lg egg, room temp
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- zest & juice of 1 orange (mine was just over a 1/3 cup)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (256g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
For the Whipped Honeyed Ricotta:
- 1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt
- 1 tbsp honey
To Garnish:
- maple syup, orange marmalade, and fresh blueberries
Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and coconut oil. Then whisk in the sugar, orange zest and juice and vanilla extract until everything is well combined.
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Then carefully whisk in the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until almost all combined. Add in the poppy seeds and continue mixing just until everything is combined. For light and fluffy pancakes, be sure not to overmix.
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Heat a skillet or griddle over a medium flame and butter or oil the pan. Once hot (a splash of water sizzles when thrown on the pan,) scoop 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking the other side. The second side will take slightly less time. Continue with the rest of batter.
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Serve them simply with a little butter & maple syrup or get creative and add some whipped cream or whipped ricotta like Britney. (Ricotta whipped in the food processor or mixer until creamy.) Some orange marmalade is great too. Or a little Whipped Honeyed Yogurt like we did. Enjoy.
For the Whipped Honeyed Yogurt:
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In a small bowl combine the honey and yogurt and whip with a small spatula until creamy and fluffy.
Recipe Notes
*If you don’t have oranges, lemon would be great too.
*If you don’t have poppyseeds, you can omit or try chia seeds.
*If you want the pancakes to be a nice golden brown like the pictures, be sure not to turn the heat too high. If you get dark rings instead of uniform color, turn the flame down and wait a minute for the pan to cool slightly.
*Recipe only very slightly adapted from Britney Breaks Bread.
