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Bumbleberry Pancakes, Bringing It Home Cookbook Review + Giveaway

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These Bumbleberry Pancakes are absolutely delicious! Fluffy, lightly sweetened, bursting with juicy berries. Buckwheat flour adds a little bit extra nutrition and flavour to this breakfast.  Jump to Recipe

A plate of bumbleberry pancakes with a sprinkling of fresh berries on top, a bowl of berries in the background, and a jar with maple syrup, blue napkin and fork next to the plate.

I have received a copy of the book for this review free of charge. This post also may contain affiliate links, they do not cost any extra to the readers but help me maintain this site.

I have never reviewed a cookbook before. To be honest, it’s not something that usually peaks my interest but I was approached with this offer and I could not resist. I mean, it’s Gail Simmons!! I used to watch Top Chef religiously back when I had cable. Week after week I tuned in, I observed, I listened to Padma, Tom, and, of course, Gail.

So, here I was, reading an email asking me (really, me?) to review Gail’s new cookbook Bringing it Home. And so I did. I decided to try a few various recipes from different chapters in the book and see for myself what the food in the book was really about. And there’s also a giveaway! Scroll to the recipe to find out more!

The cookbook starts with a good and lengthy introduction section, as well as chapters on Gail’s favourite ingredients and techniques. She talks in great details about various chef tips for cooking, choosing ingredients, making substitutions. She describes her favourite kitchen tools and writes about her life. The chapters are complete with many adorable photos of small Gail and her family. I never knew that she is actually from Toronto (my hometown) and she mentions her Canadian roots in quite a few recipes all throughout the book. Go, Canada! The book is filled with emotions and warmth and the desire to share her knowledge.

The photographs are gorgeous and the recipes sound amazing. There are layers of textures and flavours on each page. The recipes aren’t complicated, yet they are complex. It’s not just Shaved Zucchini Salad, it’s a Shaved Zucchini Salad with Harissa-Citrus Dressing and Mint. You don’t get a recipe for a delicious and perfectly charred Hanger Steak, you get a recipe for the Hanger Steak with Arugula- Mint Chimichurri. A plate of Spiced-Rubbed Salmon isn’t complete without a Citrus Yogurt & Fennel Salad.

When I started learning to cook many years ago, I was all about complex recipes like that. Over the past many moons I changed my cooking philosophy and I cook simpler food now. Not because I don’t like complex but because I don’t have time for it. Fully Loaded Matzo Ball Soup caught my eye in the Bringing it Home cookbook. It looked amazing and sounded even better. It required many hours of poaching chicken, separating it from the bones, cooling it, making stock, returning the chicken to the soup, making matzo balls. I wish I had a day of uninterrupted lazy time when I could try and make the soup but unfortunately, I don’t.

A plate with upside down banana cake and a cookbook open to a page with that same recipe and the picture of that same cake is in the background

The three recipes I cooked from Bringing it Home were amazing. The instructions were easy to follow and very precise. Even if you are just a beginner in the kitchen, you won’t be having any problems reading through the steps. Recipes have little notes and comments to help you make good decisions and substitutions if needed. I chose a breakfast recipe (because, breakfast!), a hearty and delicious vegetable soup, and a dessert. Surprisingly, although it was still yummy, the Banana-Cardamon Upside Down Cake with Salted Caramel (you see, not just an upside down cake) was my least favourite of the three, yet still delicious. I wish it had less butter and the salted caramel tasted a bit too salty. My family who tried the cake liked it a lot so it all depends on your personal taste preferences. I will most likely try to adapt this recipe a little bit to my taste, I’ll omit the salt in the caramel and use less butter in the cake.

A bowl of vegetable soup called Ribollita with a few pieces of bread in it. Some bread and cheese is visible in the background. A big green pot of soup is behind the bowl. A hand is sprinkling cheese onto the soup.

Rainy Day Ribollita was a delicious, hearty, and easy to make soup. I tried cooking with vegetables (swiss chard and kale) that I haven’t used before and the soup was surprisingly filling. I made a few really small changes to the recipe but I felt ok making them. The snippet at the bottom of the page says that the bread is added to the soup on the second day but I chose to serve bread on the side. I don’t think the recipe changed much by my variation. The soup also calls for a little bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano but omitting it would turn the soup from vegetarian to vegan. My husband I both loved this Ribollita.

A bowl of vegetable soup called Ribollita with a few pieces of bread in it. Some bread and cheese is visible in the background. A big green pot of soup is behind the bowl. The bowl is standing on top of a cookbook called Bringing it Home

And finally, breakfast. Bumbleberry Pancakes! When I was still in high school, my best friend and I used to hang out at a local coffee shop for hours. We drank cappuccinos, lattes, and ate pies and cakes. One of my favourite pies on the menu was Bumbleberry pie. I remember asking my friend about this funny sounding berry, bumbleberry. And she explained that it wasn’t an actual berry but a mixture of a few different types of berries. Gail Simmons explains this whole bumbleberry business in her recipe for the Bumbleberry Pancakes in the Bringing it Home cookbook. “Bumbleberries, for those not familiar, are not actually a type of berry,” she says, “but a combination of those you love most. I’ve always loved this goofy offbeat term, which is common in Canada, where I’m from and where bumbleberry pie is  summertime must.”

These Bumbleberry Pancakes were absolutely delicious! Fluffy, lightly sweetened, bursting with juicy berries. The recipe called for a combination of all-purpose flour and buckwheat flour. I have been meaning to try using buckwheat flour in pancakes for a long time and this recipe was the perfect opportunity to finally do it. I loved the recipe so much that I made the Bumbleberry Pancakes two days in a row! I used the recipe almost precisely but halved it and reduced the amount of sugar and salt a tiny bit. I also omitted the Cinnamon Cream and served the Bumbleberry Pancakes just with some maple syrup but in all honesty, no extra syrup is actually needed. The pancakes are already sweetened and the berries provide delicious sweetness to the hotcakes.

A plate of bumbleberry pancakes with a sprinkling of fresh berries on top, one pancake is cut in half, pancakes are covered in maple syrup. A bowl of berries in the background, blue napkin and fork next to the plate. A cookbook called Bringing it Home is in the background next to the plate of the pancakes

I have an amazing giveaway for my readers! The PR company that sent me the book promised to send a copy of Bringing It Home cookbook to TWO of my readers residing in either Canada or USA. If chosen, you will have 2 days to respond to my email and you will have to answer a simple math question. Enter the giveaway right under the recipe and good luck!

5 from 14 votes
A plate of bumbleberry pancakes with a sprinkling of fresh berries on top, a bowl of berries in the background, and a jar with maple syrup, blue napkin and fork next to the plate.
Print
Bumbleberry Pancakes
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

These Bumbleberry Pancakes are absolutely delicious! Fluffy, lightly sweetened, bursting with juicy berries. Buckwheat flour adds a little bit extra nutrition and flavour to this breakfast. 14-16 pancakes | Imagelicious

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Makes: 4 people
Ingredients
  • 1 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar (original recipe called for 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (original recipe called for 1 teaspoon salt)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2+1/4 cups chilled buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (and more for the pan)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
  • 1 container blackberries (6 ounces, about 1.5 cups)
  • 1 container raspberries (6 ounces, about 1+3/4 cups)
  • 1 container blueberries (6 ounces, about 1+ 1/3 cups)
Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and mix well.

  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the chilled buttermilk, eggs, melted coconut oil, and lemon zest.

  3. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and mix together until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter should still be lumpy.

  4. Let the batter rest for about 15 minutes (I omitted this step), then mix into the batter about 1/3 of each type of berries. The rest of the berries will be for serving.

  5. Heat a large pan over medium heat, brush with some coconut oil.

  6. Drop about 1/3 cups of batter onto the pan and cook for about 3 minutes until the bubbles start appearing on top. Flip the pancakes, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat for the rest of the batter.

  7. Serve with the remaining berries and maple syrup.

Recipe Notes

I did not have lemons in the fridge so I didn't add lemon zest but it would be amazing in this recipe.

 

The original recipe also calls for cinnamon cream which is a mixture of whipped heavy cream, greek yogurt, and cinnamon.

Amazing giveaway for TWO copies of Bringing It Home cookbook by Gail Simmons!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

These Bumbleberry Pancakes are absolutely delicious! Fluffy, lightly sweetened, bursting with juicy berries. Buckwheat flour adds a little bit extra nutrition and flavour to this breakfast | Imagelicious #breakfast #brunch #pancakes #berries #bumbleberry #bumbleberrypancakes #buckwheat

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Comments

    • Mmmm… I go through French Toast phases. I eat them for a few weeks and then stop for a few months and then can’t get enough of them for a few weeks again.

      Reply

    • This sounds so yummy! I see all those videos and recipes for biscuits and gravy but I personally have never tried them. On my to try list definitely!

      Reply

  11. I’ve never heard of bumbleberry anything, so that’s good to know 🙂 These pancakes look fabulous; I love Gail Simmons, too! And I pretty much always order eggs Benedict 🙂

    Reply

  17. I’m a Top Chef fan from way back and love Gail Simmons. I actually met her a few years ago at the Wine and Food Festival in South Beach — she’s much prettier in person. That soup looks divine I will definitely be on the lookout for this cookbook. Thanks for the great review.

    Reply

  18. Well I am a COOKBOOK lover….and watch ALL the cooking shows (well I recored them and watch them with out all the commercials…seriously I don’t have that much time). I am entering….would love to add this to my HUGE collection….and the recipes look amazing.

    Reply

  25. This cookbook sounds like some great recipes! What a wonderful opportunity to try it out! I love the “bumbleberry” information, makes it such a fun combo of any berries! Can’t wait to have these pancakes!

    Reply

  27. This cookbook sounds fantastic! I’ll have to pick up a copy. Ribollita is one o my favorite cold weather comfort foods, and the one you’ve made from the book looks so hearty and warming. Loving those buttermilk pancakes as well. I haven’t used buckwheat flour and would love to give it a try.

    Reply

    • It was my first time making Ribollita and I was so pleasantly surprised – vegetarian, light, yet really hearty! And I am now totally addicted to buckwheat flour

      Reply

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