Whole Grain Pancakes

More breakfast. I seem to be on a roll this week.

When I first became a stay-at-home mom over four years ago, I was dabbling in Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats and a healthier diet in general. My daughter was seeing a chiropractor and naturopath for ear infection issues, and we were trying to heal with food as well. We happily consumed raw milk, raw milk cheese, modified soaked grains (I didn’t grind my own, so I soaked the already milled grains), and more whole foods in general.

Then third trimester fatigue came along. And the boy himself. And all energy that could have been put toward a traditional foods diet went right out the window. Slowly, but surely, I’m trying to bring some of the good food habits I had at the start of my SAHM career back into our lives. I know–that seems shocking with a post preceded by Strawberry Shortcake Gelatin Shots, as well as all the desserts I enjoy baking. Baby steps: even if you replace just one meal a week with a healthier one, you’re going in the right direction. Or, if you eat dessert all the time, you’ll gain 15 pounds in two months. I wouldn’t know from experience. No, not at all.

This morning, I pulled out The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook: Whole Foods To Nourish Pregnant And Breastfeeding Women – And Their Families for one of my favorites–pancakes. The best part about this recipe is that it calls for you to make a mix first, so you’ll have it on hand for convenience, just like the boxes from the grocery store. You can alter the flours to your taste; this time, I had to sub with all purpose for the regular whole wheat because I haven’t replenished my supply yet. KAF White Whole Wheat would probably work for that as well, lending the fluffiness of regular pancakes while providing whole grains for better health. I topped mine with real maple syrup, but the kids were more than happy to eat theirs plain. These pancakes are flavorful and filling–a great combination for breakfast. And leftovers freeze well, so you can grab one or two and pop them in the toaster on crazy, weekday mornings. No need for the bowl of (highly processed, low nutrient) sugary cereal when you have these on hand!

PS – The recipe for turning the Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Mix into waffles can be found on 5/13/2011.

Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Mix
adapted from The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook: Whole Foods To Nourish Pregnant And Breastfeeding Women – And Their Families
makes ~8 cups mix

• 4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 4 cups whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour-AP works in an emergency, but not preferred)
• 1/4 cup baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Dump all the above into a large bowl and whisk until well-mixed. Store in an air-tight, 2 quart container in a dark, cool place.

Whole Grain Pancakes
adapted from The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook: Whole Foods To Nourish Pregnant And Breastfeeding Women – And Their Families
makes about 12 pancakes

• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4+ cups milk (*see below for tip on raw milk/soaking the grains)
• 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Mix

Put your skillet or griddle on medium heat. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg into the milk until smooth. Beat in the oil, then pour in the WW Pancake and Waffle Mix and stir until fully incorporated. If it is too thick, add some milk to thin out the batter. Using a ladle or large cookie scoop, plop batter onto the preheated skillet/griddle. When the edges are dry and there are small bubbles on the surface of your pancake, flip to the other side. You don’t want to flip too early! Cook until both sides are evenly browned. Serve with fruit, jam, real maple syrup, or plain.

*If you are making this with raw milk, you can do a sort of overnight soak/ferment to aid in digestion. Raw milk has good bacteria in it, just like yogurt–especially souring raw milk–so it works well for this application. Instead of making the whole WW Pancake and Waffle Mix and scooping from that, you’ll scale it down to just what was called for in this recipe, soaking the flours in the raw milk overnight on the counter, and then adding the rest of the ingredients in the morning. Thus, you would combine 3/4 cup whole wheat (or white whole wheat) flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour in a mixing bowl with 1 cup of raw milk, stir and then cover, leaving out overnight on the counter (12 hours, if you can). In the morning, when you’re ready to make pancakes, add to it: 1/8 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp fine sea salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp dehydrated cane juice, 1/4+ cup raw milk, and the 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil and 1 large egg from above, proceeding as normal with the method for making the pancakes.

It’s a small difference, but also gentler on your system–if you’re a fan of raw milk and soaking grains. If not, no worries. Follow the original recipe and method. It’s still better than the regular ole box of pancake mix.