One of my goals last winter was to find our family’s “go-to” pancake recipe. We had pancakes we enjoyed, but I never had a standard, don’t-even-have-to-think-about-it recipe that I could grab…well…without thinking, you know? If you have some of these recipes in your cache, you’ll know how reassuring it is.
It was important to me that our favorite pancakes also be healthy, which caused a problem at times. Cardboard. Sometimes whole wheat pancakes taste like cardboard. Other times they become too floppy, a little like those gel toys that kids like to throw at walls and they stick. The ones all mothers have nightmares about? Not so good in pancake form either.
Imagine my glee when I found a recipe that was 100% whole grain, 100% healthy, super easy, soaked to reduce phytate problems, AND was divinely delicious. I started with the recipe at The Nourishing Gourmet, but because I don’t have dairy allergies in my family, I altered it a bit.
The Best Pancakes Ever
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour* ($0.75)
1 c. buttermilk or milk or yogurt** ($0.10)
1 c. water
¼ c. apple cider vinegar ($0.05)
¼ cup melted coconut oil (can add this in the morning if you’d rather melt your coconut oil in the pan you cook your pancakes in) ($0.30)
Combine ingredients and leave on the counter, covered, to soak 12-24 hours.
Just before cooking, add:
4 lightly beaten eggs ($0.40-1.00)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
*This recipe works with all regular whole wheat, is much better with half whole wheat/half pastry flour, and is best with all pastry flour. Pastry flour is more expensive, so I like to go 1/2 and 1/2 most of the time.
**Because you’re adding vinegar to the milk, it’s a “fake” buttermilk of sorts and hasn’t had a problem sitting on my counter overnight. Raw milk would be safest for this though if you choose to use milk. You can also use the dairy choice in place of the water for even richer pancakes. i have tried all three options, and I think the milk is the best one, but I often use homemade yogurt.
Makes about 40 pancakes
Cost: $1.60-2.20, depending on your eggs
These pancakes are so thick, yet light and fluffy, probably because of the bubbly reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda. You can’t taste the vinegar in the final product, by the way, just the pancake-y goodness.
Here’s how they look on the griddle:
Camping Pancakes?
I told you last week in my camping menu plan that I was test-driving these as a camping food for the first time. I made up the soaked portion (half a batch) the morning we left in a glass jar and stored it with our dry goods overnight.
I premeasured the dry add-ins, and we always pack eggs anyway for our famous camping breakfast sandwiches.
I added the remaining ingredients in the morning plus a little water to thin it out and shook the batter up in the jar.
They were, of course, better than ever. Everything tastes better when you’re camping! (See more pictures of our trip here and here.)
If you don’t have a tailgating grill like this, you could also make pancakes on a griddle and rack over the fire. We just took the easy way out this morning (hungry kids = faster method).
What is Soaking Grains?
It’s almost unfair to be posting soaked recipes before I’ve covered why I’m “soaking my grains”. I know some of you know exactly what I’m talking about, but many of you are lost!
At a later date, I’ll go in depth into the science behind soaking grains and give you some Monday Missions on this subject, but for now, suffice it to say that it’s a healthier option to make your grains more digestible. It breaks down phytic acid, a compound that draws minerals out of your system and hinders the absorption of the minerals in your grains.
UPDATE: Here is the post on Why Soak Grains?
Completing the Breakfast
Pancakes, of course, need something on top. If you’re using real maple syrup (and you should be!), here are 5 Easy Ways to Stretch Your Real Maple Syrup, since it can be pricey. For some high-nutrition protein next to your pancakes, try the Best Scrambled Eggs Ever.
If you’re looking for more breakfast inspiration as you get into the routine of school time, Musings of a Housewife also posted on healthy breakfast ideas last week, and see the Breakfast Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as MOM.
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If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
This post is linked into:
- Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
- Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
- Tightwad Tuesdays at Being Frugal
- Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff
- The $5 Dinner Challenge
- Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
- Friday Feasts at MomTrends
- Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
- Frugal Fridays at Life as MOM
- The Festival of Frugality
- The Make-it-from-Scratch Carnival
Hungry for more? Related posts:
Thanks for this recipe! I’m pretty new to soaking; I’ve done bread and tortillas but haven’t tried pancakes or anything else yet. I’ll be trying these.
Also, your link to the post about stretching maple syrup took me to your error page.
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Katie Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Mary Ann,
Thank you so much for pointing out that link. I had it incorrect in a bunch of places, so it was a big help for you to bring it to my attention. It works now!
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I make soaked grain pancakes with unground wheat – they are delicious! And, it’s a great way for people to be able to have the benefits of fresh-milled flour if they don’t have a grain mill. I posted the recipe I use here:
http://runwatchplaywait.blogspot.com/2009/07/hot-off-griddle-delicious-blender.html
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Katie Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Kristi,
I’ve tried that recipe, too – excellent with spelt and oats, great with spelt and barley, too, but they’re a bit more floppy than we like. I LOVE the added cinnamon, though!
Thanks for sharing – Katie
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Hi!
Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing! Have a great day!
Sherrie
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I have more of a question than a comment. I have several quick bread recipes that call for vegetable oil. I had been using expeller pressed canola, but now I’m hesitant about that. I tried melting coconut oil, but some of the ingredients were cold and it clumped up and the bread seemed much heavier. Any other ideas?
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Katie Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Laurie,
This has got to be the million dollar question when it comes to fats. I struggled (am struggling?) with it, too, because sometimes it’s a pain to take the time to melt butter or coconut oil when you have that bottle of canola just ready to be poured…
That said, here are some suggestions for you:
1. If you use melted coconut oil and get it blended/mixed in FAST, like the second you add the ingredient, it often doesn’t solidify and goes much better.
2. Melted butter is a great option.
3. A light (virgin?) olive oil is another possibility. You just don’t want it to affect the flavor of your quick bread.
4. I like to use some applesauce in place of the oil in quick breads just because the fats are so expensive now that I’m using the “good stuff”.
Hope that helps!!! –Katie
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Laurie N Reply:
September 14th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Thanks, Katie.
You’ve suggested pretty much the same solutions I’ve come up with on my own. What are your thoughts on canola oil, and doesn’t olive oil lose some of its health benefits if it’s not EVOO? I tried the soaked zucchini bread recipe from Nourishing Traditions this weekend and it flopped terribly. Not sure exactly where I went wrong, but next time I’ll try to follow the recipe as close as possible. I think I’ll try the pancakes tomorrow (soaking tonight). Hopefully they will go easier and restore my courage. I’ve cooked and baked for years, but the properties of soaked grains are very different than what I’m used to, and the flavors are different, too.
Laurie N´s last blog ..Beanie Goodness – Wrapping up the Season
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Thanks for the great post and the explanation on soaking. The basic benefit is enough for me; if you don’t soak your whole wheat then it won’t be as yummy as it could be;)
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Maple syrup link doesn’t work – help! I’m running low! :>)
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I would love for you to join me at Diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com for Crock Pot Wednesday. It’s easy, fun and economical! Come on over and check it out. I’ve enjoyed your camping recipes. I also tried the maple syrup link but did not get it to work.
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Oh, so you just get regular ww flour and soak it in the wet ingredients? I thought it had to be soaked separately for some reason and couldn’t figure it out! ha!
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Pancakes are one of my all time favorite foods. Yum!
Thanks for sharing!!
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Thanks for sharing this! I’m looking forward to trying it.
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I don’t know Katie. I made half ground oats and half ground buckwheat pancakes for my nieces this weekend and they proclaimed these were the best pancakes ever!
I accidentally found out that oats produce a similar pancake like spelt. Perfect since two of my brothers and one of my nieces are Celiac. They do take a little more time in the pan to rise, but they are a favorite for Ryan and I. Of course they are soaked in yogurt since they are a take off of Nourishing Traditions’ recipe.
Your camping trip looks like it was fun. I won’t even sent photos of our patio party. By party, I mean that we ripped in all up and added to it. Lots of hard work, but it was nice to see my family.
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These sound and look delicious. I did not know about phytates. Thanks for enlightening all of us. Happy eating and camping!
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My family loves pancakes. Whole wheat pancake are even better. THANKS!!! for the recipe.
Wow I remember being a girl scout and camping. One year my sister and I went camping with a troop and my sister team made breakfast. They made pancakes and we had lots of fiber in those pancakes; like sticks and leaves.
Geri
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Katie Reply:
September 12th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Geri,
Katie
I’m laughing knowingly!
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What a great and economical recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us. I hope you are having a wonderful day.
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What a great recipe. I’ll have to give it a try. I never knew about soaking the grains. Thanks for the info! Have a great weekend!
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Love all these camping posts. Makes me want to head outdoors! Sorry I am late, checking in with all the chefs…busy week getting the kids back to school. Thanks so much for stopping in at Momtrends and sharing.
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Laurie,
I’ll tackle canola in depth over the next month or so as “A Fat-Full Fall” series kicks off. I’m still learning a lot about it myself.
As far as EVOO vs. virgin olive oil goes, see this post for lots of helpful info: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/08/11/olive-oil-update-can-you-saute-with-evoo/ and the one it links to at the end.
I think Sally Fallon is a great nutritionist but not so good at baking, myself. I hear a lot of poor reviews on the baking recipes in NT. Try recipes from blogs that have been adapted for soaking; I’ve had much more luck with them. I hope the pancakes are awesome for you!
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Laurie N Reply:
September 14th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
LOL – glad I’m not the only one who is struggling with the recipes.
I’ve finally accumulated the equipment/raw materials to do more of this type of thing (grain mill, stoneware, sources for “real” food), but I ended up with a zucchini-filled volcano in my mixing bowl and two rubbery bricks when I was done. Pancakes should be much safer. 
Laurie N´s last blog ..Beanie Goodness – Wrapping up the Season
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The Good Life on a Budget » Festival of Frugality #195 - Apple Edition // Sep 15, 2009 at 4:24 am
[...] Time for a healthy, frugal breakfast from Katie at Kitchen Stewardship with a great recipe: Soaked 100% Whole Grain Pancakes. [...]
Pancake success! I finally made up a batch of these this past weekend and they worked out great. We had enough for us on Saturday and leftovers to bring to brunch at a friend’s place on Sunday.
Laurie N´s last blog ..Me Oh My, I Love Pie
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I don’t like coconut. What would you suggest I use instead? melted butter?
Brook´s last blog ..Be Still :: Isaiah 35:1-2
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Katie Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Brook, Melted butter would work great, or refined coconut oil which has some of the benefits of the unrefined c. oil but w/ no flavor. Also, you cannot taste the coconut in this recipe – it’s so little oil with so many other things!
K
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These looks great! Our favorite is Sue Gregg’s Blender Oat Pancakes. The only problem is we want to make a bigger batch than will fit in our blender, LOL.
Kara´s last blog ..The Best Crockpot Granola
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Thanks for sharing this easy camping recipe. It would be helpful for me since I don’t want to spend alot of time cooking during the trip. Pancakes for breakfast even on the road is a nice idea.
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I’m trying these right now, thanks for the recipe! Here’s a question: if you use buttermilk, is the vinegar actually necessary? The buttermilk is already cultured, so it contains the necessary acid to break down the phytates. I was just wondering what you thought about that. I’m new to the soaking thing. Can’t wait to see how these turn out =)
Amanda´s last blog ..days with my boys
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Katie Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Amanda,
Katie
You are exactly right. Buttermilk would be the necessary acidic medium. I think the ACV helps them poof up w/ the baking soda myself, though, so I don’t think I’d leave it out on that account.
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