Beet-Colored Red Velvet Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour (or light spelt flour)
• 1 ½ Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp. white cane sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup mashed beets (3 medium-small cooked beets)

Instructions

1. 1
   Whisk all the dry ingredients together.
2. 2
   Remove the skins from your cooked beets and roughly mash them together to obtain 1/2 cup. Place the mashed beets in the blender with 1 cup of the milk. Blend until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl. Place the butter into a small saucepan and heat gently until melted. Add the remaining 1 cup of milk to the melted butter and heat for another minute until warm but not boiling. Add the warmed milked and butter mixture, the beaten eggs, and the vanilla to the beet and milk puree in the mixing bowl. Mix together well, until smooth and uniform.
3. 3
   Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and gently fold in until incorporated. Do not overmix or you will have rubbery pancakes. Small lumps in the batter are ok. The batter should be fairly thick but you may need to add a few more tablespoonfuls of milk to lighten it up. Allow your batter to rest for 20 to 30 minutes, without stirring it. This helps the gluten relax so the pancakes will be tender.
4. 4
   Heat a skillet or griddle on medium-low heat, adding small amount of oil (I like to use grapeseed oil because of its high smoking point. Spoon in the batter, about 1/4 cup at a time. Allow the pancake to start bubbling and once it is dry around the edges, flip it over. Resist the urge to press the pancakes down with the spatula, this is a sure way to take the fluff out of your pancakes. Serve warm.