In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until evenly combined. In a separate bowl whisk the egg with the milk and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently until just combined — batter should be slightly lumpy. Let rest 5 minutes.

If using buckwheat flour, expect a slightly thicker, more robust batter; add up to 2 tbs extra milk if too thick.

Filling & mix-ins

Prepare spinach and tomatoes

Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chopped spinach and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until just wilted, about 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Combine filling

In a bowl toss the wilted spinach with the halved cherry tomatoes, crumbled chèvre (reserve 30 g for garnish), lemon zest, 0.5 tsp black pepper and 0.25 tsp salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. The filling should be moist but not watery; if tomatoes are very juicy, drain a little.

Fold about half of this filling into the pancake batter if you prefer a filled pancake, or keep the filling separate to spoon onto finished pancakes.

Cook pancakes

Pan-fry pancakes

Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and brush with a little of the reserved 2 tsp olive oil. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the skillet. If making filled pancakes: spoon roughly 1–2 tbs of the spinach-tomato-chevre mixture onto each pancake, then top with an additional tablespoon of batter to enclose (or simply dollop the filling on top after flipping). Cook until edges set and bubbles form on surface, about 2–3 minutes.

Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a warm plate and keep in a low oven while you finish the rest. Repeat, adding oil to the pan as needed.

Carrot slaw

Make slaw

In a medium bowl combine the julienned or grated carrots with the apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp olive oil, honey or maple syrup, 0.25 tsp salt, 0.25 tsp black pepper and optional lemon juice and chopped parsley. Toss well and let sit at least 5 minutes so flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To finish & serve

Arrange 2–3 pancakes per serving on plates. Spoon any reserved warm filling over pancakes (if not enclosed) and sprinkle with the reserved 30 g crumbled chèvre. Add a generous portion of carrot slaw to the side. Garnish with microgreens or herbs and serve with lemon wedges for a bright squeeze if desired.

Serve immediately while pancakes are warm. Leftover pancakes can be refrigerated for 2 days and reheated gently in a skillet or oven.