100% Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

I took my never-fail, made 1000 times 100% whole wheat pancake recipe and created pumpkin pancakes.  Delicious and nutritious!  I love feeding my children fruit for breakfast.  1/2 cup of pumpkin puree has 300% of your daily vitamin A allowance.  So, make some pancakes and get your dose of Vitamin A this morning!

Vitamin A is necessary for bodily function, but what does it do?  It helps with your immune system, helps your bones, and maintains the health of cells.  But if you are pregnant, don’t go pumpkin crazy!  There is a theory of birth defects when consuming huge amounts of Vitamin A.  (Source: Harvard School of Public Health)

Pumpkin Pancakes
yield 10 (6″) pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/16 tsp. ground cloves (take half of a 1/8 tsp. to measure this.  Cloves go a long way so I always watch the amount closely.)
1 cup buttermilk (or the cheat method 1 tsp. lemon juice then adding milk to 1 cup line)
1 Tbs. honey (or 3 Tbs. sugar, 3 Tbs. Splenda, 3 Tbs. malted milk powder)
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (like Libby’s)

1.  Preheat skillet until water drop sizzles and disappears or 350 degrees on electric skillet.  In batter bowl, mix whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and spices.  Whisk Together.
2.  Add buttermilk, eggs, applesauce, pumpkin puree and honey.  Whisk Together until combined.  Do not overbeat.
3.  Pour batter onto skillet until small bubbles form. Flip.  Cook another 3 minutes or so.  Enjoy with pumpkin butter or maple syrup!

**Update:  I made these for 2 months with Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour and this is what I was using.  I purchased Hodgson Mill’s whole wheat flour this time.  The flavor is much more wheat and less pumpkin.  The color is also less orange.  I think that Gold Medal might refine their whole wheat more?  I’m not sure.  But just lettin’ you know. **