Mother’s Day Brunch Recipe: Multigrain Pancakes with Rhubarb-Orange Compote and Greek Yogurt

On Sunday mornings my daughter and I love to make pancakes or waffles, and I’m always trying to find ways to make them a little healthier. Not that I don’t love the occasional classic buttermilk pancake, but I find them overly sweet—more dessert than breakfast.

So I came up with these multigrain pancakes, and decided to serve them topped with sweet-tart fruit compote and Greek yogurt rather than pats of butter and loads of sugary maple syrup. The result is amazing. You might still feel like you are eating dessert, but you’ll probably feel an awful lot better about it.

If you like, swap out the rhubarb for whatever fruit is in season, but you might want to cut down on the sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit you are using; there’s more sugar in the rhubarb compote because rhubarb is so tart. Whatever you do, choose fresh, ripe fruit that is in season for the best flavor. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries or a mix of berries would all be great, as would chopped nectarines, peaches, apricots, or plums. You can even make an apple compote in the winter months with a pinch of cinnamon instead of the orange zest.

For the pancakes, experiment with more or less whole wheat flour if you like. I use a 50/50 blend, but you could try all whole wheat flour (although the result will be much more dense). You can also leave out the rolled oats and use an equivalent amount of wheat bran.

This recipe makes more than my 3-person family can eat in one sitting, so once we are done eating, I cook up rest of the batter and let the pancakes cool on a wire rack. Then I just package them up, separated by parchment paper, and freeze them. They make for quick and easy weekday breakfasts when my daughter is craving pancakes.

Recipe: Multigrain Pancakes with Rhubarb-Orange Compote

Makes about 16 pancakes and about 1 heaping cup compote

Ingredients:

Rhubarb Compote

• 12 oz rhubarb (about 4–5 stalks), trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• Finely grated zest of 1 small orange
• 1/2 cup sugar

Multigrain Pancakes

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup wheat bran
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
• Plain whole milk Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. 1. In a saucepan, stir together the rhubarb, orange zest, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring. Cook until the rhubarb softens and begins to break down, but is still slightly chunky. Set aside to cool while you make the pancakes.

1. 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, wheat bran, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, milk, eggs, and butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Do not overmix.

1. 1. In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt a little butter. Swirl or brush the pan, then spoon in some of the batter (I tend to use a 1/4 to 1/3 cup measuring cup), creating as many pancakes that will fit but still have a little room around them to spread. Cook until little bubbles appear, then flip the cakes with a spatula. Cook until golden brown and cooked through. Keep warm in a low oven on a baking sheet while you make the rest.

1. When they are ready, serve them with big spoonfuls of rhubarb compote. A little dollop of yogurt is pretty awesome too.