Recipe of the week: American buckwheat pancakes
These thick pancakes soak up the syrup and juice from the berries nicely

Served in piles known as “shortstacks”, American pancakes are quite a bit thicker than the crêpes you find in Europe, which means that they soak up the syrup and juice from the berries, say Danny Jack and Hailee Kukura. If you prefer your pancakes thinner, just add a little bit more milk to your batter.
Ingredients: serves 2-3 (about 6 large pancakes)
For the batter
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- 150g buckwheat or plain wholemeal flour
- 2 tsp golden or white caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 small pear or apple, cored and grated (optional)
- 250ml milk, room temperature
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 tbsp butter, for frying
To serve
- 1 tbsp date syrup, honey, maple syrup or sweetener of your choice
- 2-3 tbsp Greek-style yogurt
- 150g blueberries or raspberries
Method
- For the batter, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, grated pear or apple (if using), milk and egg yolks in a mixing bowl with a whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold into the flour mix. Cover and rest this batter for at least 10 minutes.
- Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and grease generously with some of the butter.
- Ladle some of the batter mixture into the centre of the pan and leave to cook, then flip when the pancake begins to bubble in the middle, about 2 minutes. Cook on the second side for 1-2 minutes, until the pancake is light brown on both sides and a little crispy on the edges. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
- Repeat the process, re-greasing the pan with butter as needed and cooking one pancake at a time, keeping the cooked pancakes covered with a clean tea towel until all the pancakes are cooked.
- Divide the pancakes up between your plates, drizzling your sweetener as generously as you like over the top.
- Finish each serving with a dollop of yoghurt and a scattering of berries on top.
Taken from Van Life Cookbook – Resourceful Recipes for Life on the Road: From Small Spaces to the Great Outdoors by Danny Jack and Hailee Kukura, published by Pavilion Books at £14.99. Photography by Holly Farrie. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £11.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foreground
The Explainer The group is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fall
The Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
How to put student loan payments on pause
The Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful north
The Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fans
The Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'
The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painter
The Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
Born With Teeth: ‘mischievously provocative’ play starring Ncuti Gatwa
The Week Recommends ‘Sprightly’ production from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe
-
Art review: Lorna Simpson: Source Notes
Feature Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through Nov. 2
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is more
Feature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more