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
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
Diane Keaton: the Oscar-winning star of Annie Hall
In the Spotlight Something’s Gotta Give actor dies from pneumonia at the age of 79
-
Heirs and Graces: an ‘enthralling’ deep dive into the decline of nobility
The Week Recommends Eleanor Doughty explores the ‘bizarre fascination’ with the British aristocracy
-
6 sporty homes with tennis courts
Feature Featuring a clay tennis court in New York and a viewing deck in California
-
Critics’ choice: Seafood in the spotlight
Feature An experimental chef, a newspaper-worthy newcomer, and a dining titan’s fresh spin-off
-
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little gold
Feature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
-
Theater review: Masquerade
218 W. 57th St., New York City 218 W. 57th St., New York City
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider Woman
Feature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.