Through October and November, pumpkin is the ubiquitous flavour of choice. From pizza’s to pies, from bread to Blizzards, every food outlet seems to have something pumpkin flavoured. Here at My Kitchen Wand, we are no different. The months are full of posts for candy and soup, tea loaves and chili, even a foot scrub, all full of orange pumpkiny goodness.
The other goodness that I seem to be on a bit of a kick with is Einkorn flour. So if you are looking for fall baking suggestions keep an eye out over the coming weeks or check back and search the most recent posts. Darlene Bosela writes that “Einkorn is an ancient grain, and is known as the oldest variety of “wheat.” Einkorn is also sometimes referred to as “farro” or “farro einkorn.” Einkorn was first cultivated 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. It is classified as a “diploid” because it only has two sets of chromosomes. Modern wheat varieties are classified as “hexaploid,” having six sets of chromosomes, due to a long history of hybridization. Einkorn is thought to have originated in the upper area of the fertile crescent of the Near East (Tigris-Euphrates regions), and is quite probably the main grain recorded in the earliest biblical history.” It is lower in gluten than other options so may be an option for people with gluten sensitivity.
You will need:
1 cup einkorn flour
1 1/2 tsp. sugar (optional)
1 tsp. baking powder
a couple of pinches of baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt (sea salt if it is handy)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger (optional)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 Tbsp. melted butter or oil
3/4 – 7/8 cup buttermilk
extra butter
Maple syrup or evergreen needle infused honey
Start by heating a large frying pan at medium heat. In the time it takes for your pan to reach the right temperature, your batter will be more than ready. Add a little butter to the pan for a light coating.
I put the extra tablespoon I will need for the recipe in the pan and then transfered it to the wet ingredients once melted.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. The reason that the sugar is optional is because the pancakes will get smothered in maple syrup or in this case evergreen needle infused honey so I doubt the 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar is not going to noticed by anyone. Ginger is a spice that may take this over the top for some children so it is also optional.
Mix together the buttermilk, egg, pumpkin puree and melted butter in a measuring cup or small bowl. Stir well to blend, breaking down the puree and then add to the flour mixture.
The trick to quick breads is not to over mix. When you get to this stage of stirring, stop. The rest of the flour will take care of itself.
A tip for getting 
nice round pancakes, or hearts or …or…. or is to place the batter inside a cookie cutter. Fill the cutter about half full with a stiff batter, pushing it into any corners. Remove the cutter. Leave enough space between the pancakes for them to grow.
These pictures are of the batter with 3/4 cup buttermilk and you can see the batter is pretty thick. 7/8 cup buttermilk will thin the batter and that will mean the pancakes will spread more. Remember that einkorn flour absorbs liquids differently than all-purpose flour and the batter will tend to thicken if it is not all cooked at the same time. This recipe made this short stack and the two fun ones below. Just enough for breafast for two if you are not ravenous or still growing. Einkorn generally leaves you feeling fuller sooner and longer.
There will not be as many bubbles visible as a sign the pancakes are ready to flip so also watch the edges as they begin to turn colour. Ideally, you are going to want to flip pancakes over only once. In this case the frying pan was bigger than the element so peaking underneath and moving the pan around ensured an even cook.
Serve fresh off the grill with extra butter, maple syrup or honey and a nice tall glass of milk, for anyone who qualifies as a young’un. The pumpkin puree ensures these are a moist pancake so cooking a longer time at a slightly lower temperature than usual, lets the heat get all the way through the batter without turning the outside too dark.
If you want to take it to the next level for kids (of all ages), decorate with melted white chocolate. Ideally let the kids do their own decorating with you to assist as needed. There is no need to temper the chocolate as these will be eaten right away. White chocolate is a better option than icing as it will not react to the heat of the pancakes as quickly and who says no to chocolate? Melt, stir well and transfer to a small piping bag.
Add a top knot to the pancake for the stem and push the sides out a bit so the pumpkin is not perfectly round before cooking. Don’t fuss. Pumpkins naturally come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Einkorn Pumpkin Spice Pancakes from My Kitchen Wand
