We are all walking through these challenging days right now, but let's do it together, shall we? We want to offer for your home (and hearts) some of the goodness that has been inside the pages of Taproot Magazine while many of us are at home for an extended and indefinite period of time. We've gathered recipes, craft projects, and activities that we hope will keep you making, doing, and dreaming (and eating too!), all of which we'll be sharing here in this space each day. [Visit the Welcome post for more details]
Wild Rice Pancakes
Recipe by Ashley English and photograph by Rikki Snyder.
Originally published in Issue 14::WILD.
Pancakes are a perennial crowd pleaser. The addition of wild rice imparts both a nutty flavor and a pleasant crunch and pop. It also helps the pancakes feel a bit lighter. Wash them over with maple syrup (another wild food within reach!) and you’ll be your household’s hero for the day.
Yield: 4-6 servings.
Ingredients
1½ cups water
½ cup uncooked wild rice
pinch of salt (for the wild rice)
5 eggs, whites and yolks separated, reserving one yolk for another use
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of sea salt (for the pancake batter)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
additional butter for cooking the pancakes
Instructions
- Place the water in a medium size pot. Bring to a boil, add the wild rice and a pinch of sea salt, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, leaving covered for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the cooked wild rice and sugar or maple syrup. Cook the rice for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, milk, 4 egg yolks, baking powder, and pinch of sea salt.
- Beat the egg whites separately, preferably in a stand mixer, until they are stiff and white.
- Stir to evenly distribute the cooked wild rice into the batter. Fold the egg whites into the batter until fairly well incorporated (you’re not making a soufflé here, so go ahead and work the foaminess in).
- Ladle out some batter into a well-buttered pan, preferably cast iron so as to better achieve outer edge crispiness. Cook over medium heat.
- When air holes start to stay after the bubbles have popped (which should take a minute or two), flip the pancake over. Butter the pan in between pancakes, if desired. Enjoy!
