Buckwheat Pancakes

The secret to a lovely light pancake is to fold the egg whites through the batter in two batches and remember to always use a metal spoon so as not to deflate the mixture. A nice addition to this dish is yogurt and fresh mango cubes, served on the side to top the pancakes.

1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
Pinch of salt
4 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
Butter, for greasing the pan
2 cups blueberries, optional
Maple syrup, for serving

Heat the oven to 250°F.

Place the buckwheat flour, plain flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Place the egg yolks and buttermilk in another bowl and stir well to combine. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour and mix lightly until just combined. A few lumps are fine; do not over mix. Place the egg whites in a clean, dry stainless steel bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, fold the egg whites through the batter in two batches.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and brush a small portion of butter over the base. For each pancake, ladle 4 tablespoons of batter into the pan and sprinkle with a heaped tablespoon of blueberries, if desired. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. Turn the pancakes over and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven while you make the remaining pancakes.

Serve the pancakes in stacks of three with a jug of maple syrup.

Makes 12 pancakes