Fluffy Squash Pancakes

Nothing warms my soul like fluffy, golden brown, cozy and delicious squash pancakes on a cold autumn morning. And the fact that there is a fluffy squash pancake batter waiting for me in the fridge at the very moment that I type this is just completely tempting and distracting. Write. Focus, focus, focus.

Also, there’s definitely batter on the walls and my pink sweatshirt is not pink anymore.

And my camera. My poor camera.

But these pancakes guys! These pancakes are awesome. Fluffy, soft, and slightly chewy, they make the perfect breakfast, lunch, side dish, snack, appetizer or even light dinner. These are definitely savory squash pancakes, so hide that maple syrup back in the pantry.

Seriously, if you have any leftover squash from your Thanksgiving celebrations (hi fellow Canadians!) you have to make these pancakes. They come together so quickly. But most importantly, they are so ridiculously good! Moist from all that squash and fluffy from the addition of kefir.

Kefir is more runny than yogurt, more tangy than buttermilk, with a pleasant carbonated fizziness. And it’s my baking rock star. I love adding this healthy fermented dairy drink to any pancake or crepe batter. The batter basically rises itself due to the naturally fermented kefir properties and pancakes turn out fluffy and airy.  Kefir is easy to find at almost any grocery store in dairy department near yogurt. I get mine from Costco or Russian stores.

So let’s be honest: I was raised on pancakes and crepes (thanks, mom) and I will always hold them near and dear to my heart. So if you find me with a plateful of fluffy squash pancakes back off and take it easy. It’s my heritage. What’s better, or worse, is that I love to eat them in stacks of four with a big touch of sour cream topped with caviar and my life is so good.

Ingredients:

2 cups coarsely shredded squash, peeled and seeds discarded (I used scalloped squash)

2 eggs

1/2 cup kefir

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

oil for frying

Whisk the flour, baking soda, sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs.

Add kefir and squash to the bowl and stir until just combined. I used scalloped squash that grows in my garden for this recipe. But zucchinis would work fine here as well.

Heat the skillet with oil over medium high heat.

Pour the batter onto the hot skillet using a 1/4 measuring cup. Wait until bubbles form on the top of the pancakes and the edges look dry.

Flip once, cook for another few minutes until golden brown and remove from the heat. Place onto the plate lined with paper towel to soak up excess oil.

Serve immediately topped with sour cream and caviar or your personal savory favorite.