Hearty Multigrain Pancakes

Mid-maple season. The grove is running at its best — I've been collecting twice a day on the good runs, the buckets filling faster than I expected. The light amber yield is strong this year, which means the early-season weather has been near perfect. You get the best light amber in the first two weeks when the sugar content is highest and the weather is exactly right.

I went through the contents of Helen's kitchen drawer this week — the deep drawer on the left side of the counter where she kept the things that didn't go anywhere else: rubber bands, an awl, a sewing kit, receipts from years she'd meant to clear out. At the back of it, under everything, I found a small notebook I didn't recognize. Spiral bound, her handwriting on the cover: Kitchen Notes, 1987. A recipe notebook from thirty-five years ago, early in our marriage, before she'd settled into her permanent methods.

I stood at the counter and read through it. Recipes she'd tried and annotated: "too sweet, less honey next time." "Walt's mother's version — why is hers better?" "Don't make when tired." Early experiments that became permanent dishes and early experiments that she abandoned. The handwriting is younger — slightly more tentative than the confident cards I've been working from. A different Helen, figuring things out. I sat down at the kitchen table with the notebook and stayed there for a long time.

There's a roast chicken recipe in there — simple, her first version, with notes in the margins. I'm going to make it this week. That seems like the right response to finding something like this. You make it. You eat it. That's how you read it.

The light amber we’re pulling right now is as clean and bright as any I can remember — the kind that deserves a simple, honest vehicle, not something that competes with it. These multigrain pancakes have been my go-to for years precisely because they don’t get in the way: the oats and whole wheat give them enough substance to hold up to a generous pour, but they step back and let the syrup do the talking. After sitting at the kitchen table with Helen’s 1987 notebook for the better part of an afternoon, I wasn’t ready for anything elaborate — I just wanted something warm and uncomplicated, with the best syrup of the season over the top of it.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4 (about 12 pancakes)

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk, shaken
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Neutral oil or butter for the griddle

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, cornmeal, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly mixed.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined.
Make the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix or the pancakes will be tough. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes while the griddle heats.
Heat the griddle. Set a large griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with a small amount of neutral oil or butter. The surface is ready when a few drops of water skitter and evaporate immediately.
Cook the pancakes. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto the griddle, spacing them at least an inch apart. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set and matte, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Keep warm and serve. Transfer finished pancakes to a baking sheet in a 200°F oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining batches. Serve stacked, with a generous pour of pure maple syrup — light amber if you have it.

Nutrition (per serving)

Hearty Multigrain Pancakes — A Stack Worthy of First-Run Syrup