All hail, the multifaceted pancake! Pancakes are one of those foods whosevariations run the entire length of the spectrum. On one end, you have the most decadent, almost obscenely so,creations conceivable, everything from chocolate chip to banana sundae and ooey gooey caramelconcoctions that make most dessert menuslook outright saintly by comparison. On the other end, you haverecipes that manage totake ingredients that includeegg whites, wheat bran, andhoney and somehowmake the combinationtaste yummy. Maybe not as resplendent as, say,apple-cinnamon crepes topped with real whipped cream, but enough to pass as a great breakfast. And you have both the sweet — the aforementioned examples still stand — and the savory, such as potato or cheese-topped or even grated zucchini pancakes with some interestingtomato sauce. What other food boasts that kind of versatility?
Having said that, as much as I consider myself an enthusiastic adventurer of both extremes of that spectrum, I must confess aspecial place in my heart for the good ol’ fashioned plain buttermilk pancake. You know the kind I mean:that fluffy, sweetly basic cake that you get from using any mix with the instructions “Just add water” on the label. McDonald’s hotcakes would be another fine example. I think of all the McDonald’s pancakes I’d consumed in my youth, almost always under the same circ*mstances: en route to a family vacation destination, usually a camping trip to Florida, andam quite surethe sum total is enough tocreate a REAL “house of pancakes” —complete withpancakewalls, chimney and sundeck! Sometimes there’s just no substitute for the original.
But sometimes there is, and in recent years, that substitution has often come in the form of various “high-protein” pancake recipes, boasting healthier ingredients and a simplicity of preparation that appeals to my Wile E. Coyote (I’d say “MacGyver” but I’m definitely not clever enough) side. The idea that I couldtake, say,a leftover packet of instant cream of wheat, an egg white, a container of yogurt and a chopped apple and in 5 minutes haveahot and tastyskillet breakfast— seems almost miraculous to me! Hence my never-ending quest for yet anothertwist on that basic theme.
Which brings me to our recent “High Protein Pancake” Recipe Experiment. I say “our” because it was a joint effort: I would make the pancakes, and Dan, my husband would be yee royal taste-tester. We chose our respective roles partly because I don’t have a very discriminating palate when it comes time to pancakes.The sad truth is, I’ll eat just about anything that bears even remote resemblence to a pancake,even more so when the ingredients are unconventional and/or “healthy” (must be the novelty of it). Dan, on the other hand, while a pancake enthusiast himself, has a more standard range of preferences, thus could be a more objective judge of those recipes that work and those that….well, fall flat. Bad pancake pun! Sorry about that.
Now of course, the possibilities of which high-protein recipes to test and compare are just about endless. But for the sake of simplicity, we honed in onthreeversions of the same basic recipe:Test Recipe #1usescottage cheese as the primary protein source,Test Recipe#2useswhey protein powder (no cottage cheese) for the protein, and Test Recipe #3contains both cottage cheese AND whey protein powder. We also tested two toppings for each of the three: either butter spray and “light” maple syrup, or a small amount of “light and low in trans fat” margarine and once again, a“light” maple syrup. So basically, we had six different pancake breakfasts to compare and contrast. And I must say, the difference in the appearance, taste, and texture of the three was rather distinct, and the verdict somewhat surprising!
Without further ado,here they are, our three test recipes:
Test Recipe #1: “….With Cottage Cheese”
- 1 small container (1/2 cup) Egg Beaters
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup dry oatmeal (not instant, but the quick-cook kind)
- 1/8 tsp. baking powder
- 1 packet non-nutritive sweetener (I used Sweet-n-Low)
- sprinkling of cinnamon
- nonstick cooking spray
Directions: Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and place on medium heat to preheat pan. Meanwhile,combine the Egg Beaters and cottage cheese in a mixing bowl, stirring with a fork orwhisk until well-blended. Add oatmeal, sweetener, baking powder and cinnamon and mixvigorously forabout a minute. Check pan’s temperature by dropping atiny amount of water on it. If the water bubbles/sizzles immediately, the pan is ready. Using alarge spoonor small ladle, spoon a small amount of the batter into the pan,gently spreading it to a pancake shape if it’s too thick to do this on its own.Cook on one side untilbubbles begin to appear and burst on the top of the batter. Using a spatula, carefully flip over and cook for roughly the sameamount of time (given a choice, it’s better to overcook than undercook the pancake). Transfer the cooked pancake to a plate, and repeatuntil all thebatter is used up. Serve while warm withbutter spray (or light/low-trans-fat margarine) and lightmaple syrup.
Serves 1.
Test Recipe #2:“…..With Whey Protein Powder”
- 1 small container (1/2 cup) Egg Beaters
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (I used the vanilla flavor Designer Whey Protein, which I can find readily at most of our areagrocery store chains)
- 1/2 cup dry oatmeal (not instant, but the quick-cook kind)
- 1/8 tsp. baking powder
- 1 packet non-nutritive sweetener (I used Sweet-n-Low)
- sprinkling of cinnamon
- nonstick cooking spray
Directions: Follow the same directions as above. Additional water should not be needed, but if the batter is thick enough to bemore like dough, add a little water to thin it out — not too much!
Test Recipe #3: “….With Cottage Cheese AND Whey Protein Powder”
- 1 small container (1/2 cup) Egg Beaters
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (once again, I used the vanilla flavor from Designer Whey)
- 1/2 cup dry oatmeal (not instant, but the quick-cook kind)
- 1/8 tsp. baking powder
- 1 packet non-nutritive sweetener (I used Sweet-n-Low)
- sprinkling of cinnamon
- nonstick cooking spray
Directions: Follow the same directions as above. Additional water should not be needed, but if the batter is thick enough to bemore like dough, add a little water to thin it out — not too much!
The Verdict
- Best Taste/Texture: Recipe #1
- Most “Pancake Like” in Appearance: Recipe #2
While the recipe made with just the whey protein most certainly LOOKED like the pancakes pictured on the box of pancake mixes, that’s where the intrigue ended for Dan. His complaint? Too rubbery, a tough texture, and an odd taste. He actually asked my permission to not even finish the first pancake! On the flip side (another bad pancake pun, oops), although Recipe #1 didn’t have quite the photogenic appearance one thinks of when picturing a pancake, my husband found them to be quite tasty, and happily ate the entire serving (special note: each serving was small, I know he will thank me for making sure I offer that disclosure). Surprisingly, to accompany the light maple syrup for a topping, Dan preferred the lighter, simpler butter spray instead of the light margarine to top the cakes.
In conclusion,it seems your best bet is, unless you have a specific reason to incorporate the whey protein, to stick with the simple and basic Recipe #1, with just the cottage cheese for protein. What’s interesting about this outcome is it jives perfectly with my own conclusions over the years I have used this recipe. While I actually don’t mind the flavor and texture of the whey protein pancake (true indicator of the pancake addict that I am), I myself still prefer the cottage cheese recipe. The former tastes more like “health food,” the latter tastes like just a nice, light, yummy breakfast dish.
So there you go! We tested and tasted these pancake recipes so you don’thave to. Happy Pancakes to you!
