Vanilla Bean Pancakes

This batter makes for a great brunch at some point over the holiday weekend! You'll need to start the mix a couple of days in advance to infuse it with the vanilla bean flavor.

Lightly spoon 2 cups all-purpose flour into measuring cups, leveling with a knife. Combine the flour in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon raw sugar, 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1/4 tsp. salt. Add 1 whole vanilla bean. Transfer the mixture to an air-tight container and let stand for at least 2 days - I let mine sit for 3.

Remove the vanilla bean, but save it for another use! (One idea is to place it in a canister of raw sugar, for gently vanilla-infused flavor in your next baking expedition).

Make 1 and 1/2 cups vegan buttermilk by placing 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a measuring cup, then filling with plain soy milk (such as Silk), until you reach 1 and 1/2 cups total. Let stand for 5 minutes to clabber (sour) the mixture. Combine the 'buttermilk' with the equivalent of two eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G).

Add the flour mixture into the 'buttermilk' mixture, and stir until well combined. (I did this in reverse, i.e. adding the 'buttermilk' into the flour, but luckily that didn't seem to affect the quality of my batter).

Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Spoon 1/4 cup of the batter per pancake onto the griddle, turning after about 3 minutes (or when the tops have tiny bubbles), then let cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Work in batches of course so your skillet doesn't get too crowded!

This recipe makes enough for 12 pancakes. 2 pancakes are a serving of 210 calories. Try them with the Maple-Blueberry Syrup recipe I posted a couple of days ago, or regular maple syrup.

Cost:
vanilla bean
plain soy milk $2.49