Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Late September and the air has a new quality, something cleaner, the leaves just beginning to think about changing. The light through my east kitchen window in the mornings is more golden than it was in summer, lower in the sky. I have started eating breakfast at the kitchen table instead of standing, just because the light is worth sitting in.

Got my midterm back this week: 91. I sat in the parking lot of the community college and looked at it for a while. I have not gotten a grade on anything since high school, and I was not a remarkable student in high school. I was a present student, a trying student, but I was moving every year or two and the curriculum kept changing and I kept having to catch up. 91. On a graduate-level early childhood education class. I called Gloria and she made a sound of pure satisfaction and said tell me everything about the class. So I did.

In the kitchen this week I made chili for the first time. Proper chili, dried beans soaked overnight, ground beef browned with onion and garlic, canned tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, a little cocoa powder, which I read makes the flavor deeper and richer. Simmered for two hours. Served over rice with shredded cheddar on top and corn chips on the side.

It was very good. I brought a container to Keisha and she texted me three minutes after she tasted it and said put this on your blog. I have been writing the blog less often lately because I have less time, but I should write about the chili. There is something to say about learning a new dish and it working the first time, about how that feels different from mastering something through failure. Both kinds of learning matter. Both kinds produce the same result eventually.

The chili came first — that long, patient simmer that made the apartment smell like something a grandmother would have going on the stove — but what I kept coming back to all week was that particular quality of September mornings, that golden low light that made me want to slow down and actually sit. So the morning after I called Gloria and told her everything, I made these pumpkin pancakes. Whole wheat, properly spiced, the kind of breakfast that takes the season seriously. It felt right: the week had been about things working the first time, about showing up and finding out you were more ready than you thought, and a stack of warm pancakes in good light seemed like exactly the right way to mark that.

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

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tbsp pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
Butter or neutral oil for the pan

Instructions

Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice until evenly blended. Set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
Bring it together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined. A few small lumps are fine — do not overmix or the pancakes will be tough. Let the batter rest for 3 to 5 minutes while the pan heats.
Heat the pan. Warm a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a small pat of butter or a light film of oil and let it heat until shimmering but not smoking. Adjust heat down slightly if needed — whole wheat pancakes benefit from a moderate, steady heat.
Cook the pancakes. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the underside is deep golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter or oil to the pan between batches as needed.
Serve warm. Stack and serve immediately with maple syrup, a pat of butter, or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. These also reheat well in a toaster if you have leftovers.

Nutrition (per serving, about 3 pancakes)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes — When the Season Turns and Something Finally Goes Right