One Stop Ricotta Pancake Shop
I’m not really a fan of lemon flavored things. Lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, lemon heads—they don’t call my name. More often than not, you won’t see the name “ricotta pancakes” without LEMON in front.
Why do ricotta pancakes have to have lemon in them?
Well, it all started when the first buttermilk pancake was made. Just kidding, this isn’t a history lesson. But it is a science lesson. Buttermilk pancakes and ricotta pancakes are fluffier than those without the two. Contrary to popular belief it isn’t the fat or moisture that makes them thick and fluffy. The fat adds…well, moistness.
What gives pancakes fluff is ingredients such as whipped egg white, baking powder, or baking soda. The latter two are alkaline in nature and need something acidic to react with in order to produce the air bubbles they promise to deliver (in the form of fluffy or risen baked goods).
Enter: lemon
Lemon is the most common acidic ingredient used in ricotta pancakes because it’s got a more subtle flavor than vinegar; and its flavor is more suitable for pancakes than vinegar too. The ricotta and milk provide a rich moistness and the lemon reacts with the baking soda/powder to introduce fluff (read: air) into the batter.
But sometimes there are days when you have no lemons but have ricotta. What then?!
Enter: yogurt
Yogurt has enough acid to effectively react with the baking soda/powder too! Rather than adding vinegar to milk, you can add yogurt which will prevent the pancakes from tasting vinegar-y. Mixing dairy with dairy is better anyway, as I’ve learned from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.
Lemon-Ricotta pancakes with blueberries and organic blueberry syrup from Wabry Syrup
Ricotta-Yogurt pancakes with a barely-whipped cream and blueberry almond topping
Ingredients
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp yogurt OR 1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Recipe
In a small bowl, mix the yogurt or lemon juice into the milk and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, beat the egg until the white and yolk are homogeneous.
Whisk the melted butter and ricotta cheese into the egg, followed by the now-thickened milk.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet, and FOLD it in. You do this using a silicone spatula or large spoon, scooping the batter against the bottom of the bowl and turning it over/onto itself. Do this until the batter is nearly fully mixed through. There might be some lumps and that is totally fine!
Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes while you gently heat up your nonstick pan/griddle/cast-iron pan, lightly greased with a neutral vegetable oil or some butter.
When the pan is heated up (medium-low heat, butter is beginning to sizzle), give the batter a stir or few folds. Then use a 1/3 or 1/2 measuring cup to scoop batter into the pan.
If you want to add blueberries or fruit/chocolate chips to the pancakes, now is the time. Sprinkle/distribute them on the just-poured batter. The batter will fluff up and rise to hug the berries/toppings, so you don’t have to add more batter on top.After about 2-3 minutes, check to see if the pancake is ready to flip. Every stove/pan combo is different, so the bubbles on top might not be the best indication of whether it’s ready. Don’t lift the pancake too much, just a little to check for a golden-brown color. Also, don’t press down the pancake once the batter is poured and/or the pancake is flipped. Leave them alone to fluff up properly!
Top with whipped cream, berries, fruit, syrup, whatever you want! I enjoy fresh berries and maple syrup or the organic fruit syrups from Wabry (they have sugar-free options too).