Perfect Pancakes

For the first 6 years of our marriage, I was horribly deficient in the talent required to create the perfect pancake.  My pancakes were more crepe than cake, never seemed to get brown and were not greeted with the enthusiasm I though pancakes deserved...No one ever asked for seconds and quite a few of them ended up in the garbage.  Despite all this, it wasn't until IHOP moved next door to our supermarket that I realized I had a major problem: My family LOVED pancakes.  They just didn't like mine.  At all.  Each time we passed the restaurant, my oldest would wax on about how it was his favorite place on earth, and all the kids would beg please PLEASE can't we go?  Even the husband would give me a sideways glance and I could tell he would surely turn in if I would just give the ok.  After giving in a few times and watching my children and husband gleefully gorge themselves on delightfully fluffy pancakes, I was annoyed enough to dig my heels in...and come up with my own perfect pancake recipe.  After a few months of trial and really horrific errors (that I will spare you here), this is what I have come up with.  We now have pancakes almost weekly, there are never any left over and no one begs for IHOP any more.  I would call that sweet success.  Enjoy!

Lydia's Perfect Pancakes

Makes 27 pancakes

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup wheat flour

1 1/2 cup whole wheat white flour*

2 1/4 C milk

6 T oil

3 T brown sugar

9 t baking powder

3/4 t salt

milled flax seed (as much or as little as you prefer)

Beat eggs with hand beater until light and fluffy.  Beat in remaining ingredients until smooth.  Heat griddle to 375.  Pour just shy of 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle.  Cook pancake until bubbly on top and puffed and dry around the edges, then flip.   Cook until golden brown.  Serve with butter and your favorite topping!

*I recently discovered this while being disenchanted with how heavy the whole wheat pancakes were turning out.  Whole Wheat white flour is still whole wheat but it is a bit lighter than the regular whole wheat flour.