Whole-Wheat Pancakes with Blackberry Syrup

Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl, then add water, eggs, and oil and whisk until smooth.

Let stand 5 minutes (batter will thicken). If batter is too thick to pour easily (whole-wheat flours vary in how much liquid they absorb), thin with additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Bring syrup with blackberries to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan over moderate heat, then boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Brush a griddle or 12-inch skillet with oil and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to moderate. Working in batches of 4, spoon 2 tablespoons batter per pancake (a heaping large serving spoon works well) onto hot griddle to form 3- to 3 1/2-inch rounds. Cook until bubbles appear on surface and pop, edges are set, and undersides are golden, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Flip pancakes with a metal spatula and cook until undersides are golden and pancakes are cooked through, 45 seconds to 1 minute more. (Lower heat if pancakes brown too much before insides are cooked through.)

Transfer pancakes to plates and brush griddle with oil between batches.

Serve with warm syrup.

Dry ingredients can be whisked together and stored in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature up to 2 weeks. Shake or stir before using.