I seriously can’t stop making brunch food lately. Anyone else? I go to bed on Friday telling myself to relax and enjoy the next morning, maybe a simple piece of toast with an egg for breakfast, but no. I wake up on Saturday morning with hunger like no other and decide on some kind of big breakfast. Three weeks ago it was sourdough cinnamon rolls. Two weeks ago? Shakshuka. And well, last Saturday I woke up thinking about how I had a container of ricotta in the fridge that needed to be used. So blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes seemed like the right Saturday morning brunch choice.
The secret to the fluffiest lemon ricotta pancakes ever
Now there are two really important steps to take when making pancakes that you cannot skip. I learned both of these tricks while reading through the pancakes section in Joy of Cooking, which yes, I do sit in bed and read cookbooks. Quite often, actually…
The first trick is not over-mixing your pancake batter. First you want to whisk together your wet ingredients, but only gently fold in your dry ingredients. There will be lumps. There will be bumps. LEAVE. THEM. You only need to mix until your dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter, then stop.
The next trick is leaving the pancake batter to rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes. This allows for the leavening to work through the batter (in this case, it’s your baking powder) and will create really fluffy pancakes when you pour the batter on the griddle. So after you mix your batter, leave it to rest while you get your griddle ready to flippy-flip those pancakes.
The griddle I like to use
Now the beautiful thing about getting married is inheriting all of your spouse’s cool kitchen things, and in this case, I inherited his awesome griddle. Well, half griddle. It’s a half griddle and a half grill/panini press, so as Hannah Montana once famously said, “it’s the best of both worlds.”
While the specific griddle/grill that I have doesn’t seem to be on the Internet anymore (seriously, can’t find it, I’ll keep looking), I am currently having a love affair with this particular 3-in-1 version. That’s because it can either be a half griddle and a half grill, or you can add enough pans to create a full griddle or a full grill! It’s great for people like me who live in a shoebox apartment in New York City and can’t have a grill on the back porch…because we don’t have one, obviously. So this little grill will do.
However, if you don’t want to pay for another appliance to have in your apartment, you can use a flat pan, like a cast-iron skillet. Or treat yourself to a flat griddle pan! I’m a huge fan of Target’s Nordic Ware cookware products (I’m obsessed with their Nordic Ware Bundt Cake Pan), so I highly recommend this Nordic Ware Square Griddle. Great for pancakes, quesadillas, grilled cheese, you name it.
Okay, enough blabbing, time to make some pancakes.
Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Equipment
- Griddle or a flat pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk or buttermilk
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp melted butter plus extra for the pan
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Mix together the milk/buttermilk, ricotta cheese, egg, butter, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl, until everything has evenly been mixed in.
- Sprinkle in the flour, baking powder, sugar, and 1/2 cup of the blueberries. Mix together with a spatula until everything is just combined—about 30 seconds. Do not overmix, leave the lumps!
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes while you heat up the griddle or flat pan (medium to medium-low heat).
- Spread some butter onto the griddle, then pour 1/4 cup of the batter down for each pancake.
- Wait for the pancake to bubble on top before flipping it over, it should cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Continue to cook the pancakes until you've finished the batter.
- Serve with butter, maple syrup, and the other 1/2 cup of blueberries. As well as any other desired toppings.
Notes
More brunch ideas for you!
Because I’m obsessed with brunch lately, here are a few of my other favorites to make for brunch.
- Avocado Toast with Soft Boiled Eggs
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Glaze
- Shakshuka
- Whole Wheat Waffles
- Eggs Benedict
- Savory (or sweet!) French Toast
- Breakfast Strata
- Caramel Chocolate Crescents
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Wow I really do have a brunch obsession. Obviously, don’t forget the cocktails.
Alright, that’s it. I’m done. I promise.
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