Nutty Spelt Pancakes

Why This Nutty Spelt Pancakes Works

As the batter comes together, the buttermilk, egg, and baking soda start reacting with the baking powder and spelt flour. Tiny bubbles begin forming even before the pan is hot, so the batter feels a little puffy instead of heavy. Spelt flour has less gluten than regular all-purpose flour, so the batter doesn’t tighten up as much, and the pancakes stay soft instead of chewy.

During cooking, the heat sets the egg and flour around all those air bubbles, so each pancake holds its shape but still feels light. Almond butter and melted butter spread through the batter and coat the flour, so the pancakes stay moist and a bit tender in the middle instead of drying out. As the bottom browns in the buttered pan, the outside firms up and turns golden while the inside stays soft. By the time both sides are cooked, the pancakes have a nutty taste from the spelt and almonds, with a fluffy center that soaks up maple syrup.

Mistakes To Avoid

Overheating the pan at the start can make the outside of the pancakes brown fast while the centers stay pasty and undercooked. The batter sets too quickly on the surface, so by the time the middle cooks through, the edges taste burnt and dry.

Overmixing the batter after the wet ingredients go into the dry lets the spelt flour soak up too much liquid and form a lot of gluten. The batter then turns thick and elastic, and the pancakes cook up tough and chewy instead of soft and fluffy.

Adding the almond butter without mixing it smoothly into the wet ingredients can leave thick streaks or clumps in the batter. Those heavy spots don’t rise well in the pan and end up as flat, dense patches that cook unevenly.

Pouring very large pancakes instead of the 1/4 cup portions makes it hard for the centers to cook before the bottoms darken. The result is pancakes that look done on the outside but stay gummy in the middle.