Recipe: Orange Cloud Pancakes

ORANGE CLOUD PANCAKES

"Orange juice mellows the somewhat sharp taste of whole wheat."

3/4 cup (6 ounces) cottage cheese
3 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 cup (2 ounces) white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon orange zest

Place the cottage cheese, egg yolks, melted butter and orange juice in a food processor and process until the cottage cheese is smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon and process again. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the orange zest. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, whip the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Use a rubber spatula to stir a spoonful of the whites into the batter to loosen it, and then gently fold in the rest of the whites. This batter does not need to rest. Cook the pancakes right away.

To cook, heat a nonstick griddle or a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. If your surface is not nonstick, brush it lightly with vegetable oil.

When the surface of your pan is hot enough that a drop of water sputters across it, give the pan a quick swipe with a paper towel to remove excess oil and spoon the batter onto the hot surface, 1/3 cup at a time.

Cook the cakes, checking them frequently to be sure they're not browning too quickly. When they are beginning to set, and you see small bubbles starting to form around the edges, flip them and finish cooking until both sides are golden brown. Serve immediately. These pancakes are light and fluffy and do not hold well in the oven.

Makes 12 (4 inch) pancakes.
Source: The King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook