2 large red grapefruits, divided

5 teaspoons honey, divided

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1 large egg

1 ½ cups buckwheat flour (see Tip)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

⅛ teaspoon salt

Zest 1 grapefruit to get 1 1/4 teaspoons zest; reserve the zest in a medium bowl. Using a knife, remove and discard the peel and pith from both grapefruits. Working over a small saucepan, slice the grapefruits into segments, squeezing the juice into the pan and transferring the segments to a plate. Stir 1 teaspoon honey into the grapefruit juice; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the reserved grapefruit segments; cover and set aside.

Add buttermilk, applesauce, egg and the remaining 4 teaspoons honey to the reserved grapefruit zest in the medium bowl, whisking just until combined. Whisk in buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; let stand for 5 minutes.

While the batter stands, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and dollop about 1/4 cup batter per pancake into the skillet (about 3 pancakes per batch). Cook until the edges are dry and bubbles form on the surface, 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Repeat the process with cooking spray and the remaining pancake batter, reducing heat as needed if the pancakes are browning too quickly. Divide the pancakes among 4 plates. Top with the grapefruit syrup.