Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Buttermilk, Blueberries and Pancakes

Almost everyone loves pancakes and waffles. They are quick, easy and they freeze great making them very convenient for both caregivers and patients. So when I came across the Canna-Buttermilk Pancakes recipe it sounded good but didn’t sound right, and even though I knew better I went ahead with it by starting the canna-buttermilk. The buttermilk did a great job of covering the cannabis odor but after just a couple hours in the crock-pot on low, the “trash” became trash; buttermilk curdles at 160 F. the low setting on crock-pots range from 180 to 200 F.

The idea of canna-buttermilk pancakes sounded delicious and I remembered seeing powdered buttermilk in the grocery store so off went Mr. Budderworth. Of course you could just buy a buttermilk pancake mix and add the milk but when you make it from scratch you give yourself more options such as using different flours, spices and extracts to using honey, agave or maple syrup in place of the sugar.


The Saco cultured Buttermilk Blend runs between four and five dollars for the 12-ounce canister and is in the baking isles of both Safeway and King Soopers. Instead of using water as it states I used canna milk and added the powdered buttermilk to the dry ingredients. The buttermilk does a good job of hiding the canna taste and the pancakes were nice and fluffy. They were a big hit and received great reviews. The second pancake recipe is for Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes using the powdered buttermilk.

For those that can’t or don’t want to use the powdered buttermilk, the first cannacakes recipe uses a common substitution for buttermilk; lemon juice or white vinegar mixed with the milk. This will not give you the nice fluffy pancakes you’ll get by using the powdered buttermilk but it still gives you a great tasting pancake.

Both recipes were given excellent marks by all for taste and appearance. Other comments were “no canna taste” and “there is a very nice blend of flavors”. Personally I thought there was just the slightest taste of cannabis in the first recipe. If you want to ensure there is no canna taste, simply increase the cinnamon by 1/2 teaspoon.

Mr. Budderworth took some nice pictures that I will post later. Be sure to read the Pancake Tips on the side bar for perfect pancakes.


Enjoy, Be Safe and Be well!

Mrs. Budderworth

Pancakes

Blueberry Cannacakes

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 beaten egg
1 cup canna milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Place the lemon juice or white vinegar into a glass measuring cup then stir in enough canna milk to equal one cup. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl sift flour then add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together, make a well in the center and set aside.

In another medium sized bowl stir together the egg, milk and oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients, stirring until everything is moistened. Batter should be a little lumpy. Gently stir in the blueberries.

Pour a 1/4 cup of batter onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle or skillet set at medium temperature. When pancakes start to bubble and the underside looks golden flip it over until that side is also golden. About two minutes on each side.


Makes approximately 10 pancakes



Blueberry Buttermilk Cannacakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup powdered Cultured Buttermilk Blend

4 tablespoons sugar

2 cups canna milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

12-ounces blueberries


In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and soda, salt and powdered buttermilk and whisk in sugar.


In a separate bowl whisk eggs, vanilla and canna milk mixing well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until most the lumps are gone.


Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet to medium-low temperature. When griddle is hot enough fold the blueberries into the batter, if using frozen blueberries keep them frozen until time to use. Pour ¼ cup batter per pancake onto the griddle or skillet..


When small bubbles appear around the edges and the bottom looks golden flip it over and cook until the other side is golden. These will be thick so don’t rush cooking them.


Approximately 20 pancakes


See Pancake Tips on the side bar

Patients Helping Patients

As a legal Medical Marijuana (MMJ) patient and a granny, I can’t just pack a bowl of medicine and light up anywhere I am when I need to. Having a love for baking and doing so for roughly forty years, using cannabis in baking and cooking made total sense to me. I can medicate without anyone knowing I’m doing so. My quest had begun.

Now you might think there are hundreds of online tried and true (TNT) recipes using cannabis but after many, many, hours of searching I decided Californian’s have a better chance of getting raided by the DEA than finding a good selection of recipes. What I did find was the same recipes with various names on web sites all across the world. I discovered there are many MMJ patients and caregivers also looking for great TNT recipes with taste, potency and variety being the top factors they seek.

For my contribution to the Serve America Act recently signed by President Obama, and with the help of the patients collective I am a part of, I volunteer my time to find, create, make and rate sweet as well as savory MMJ recipes. The collective donates the trash; I provide everything else then donate the finished product to the collective. Much to my dismay I’ve discovered I’m one of the unfortunates that canna-edibles have little or no effect so other patients with various illnesses rate the product on potency, along with taste and appearance.

Along with using canna budder and tincture I'll also be using canna milk. Many bake good recipes call for milk more than butter and much to my surprise not too many people are making or using canna milk. Not only is canna milk easier to make than budder, it’s more potent and your body absorbs it faster. It also freezes well and has a multitude of uses that will be featured in future writings.

Keep in mind, whether you use canna milk, budder or tincture the potency depends on the strain of cannabis and on the person so be safe and start with the minimum serving size until you know how it affects you, which can take thirty minutes to one hour.

Enjoy, be safe and be well!

Mrs. Budderworth