Whole Wheat Pancakes a la Deardeuff

I keep getting requests for this recipe, so as I typed it up for a friend, it occurred to me to post it here. Next time I make it I will take pictures and post them, as I always enjoy illustrated food blogs (a fun one is http://pinchmysalt.com/).

I originally got this recipe from a book entitled Essential Mormon Celebrations. The recipe was called Papa's Whole-Wheat Pancakes. My recipe really doesn't look very much like the original, but just so we're all clear, I didn't start from nothing.

That being said, these are my favorite pancakes. I make them quite often, and even Michael asks for them! (That's when I know I'm on the right track!) They have been quite versatile, and in a pinch, I will use leftovers as bread in a lunch meat sandwich (unfortunately, there are usually not any leftover). Also, I like to double the recipe, but not if I am trying something new (see variations).

Here it is:

1/2 cup milk (I use rice milk)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (this is the measurement for fresh ground flour. For store bought, I would start with 1 cup and add more at the end to balance the consistency as needed.)
1/4 tsp sea salt (1/8 tsp if honey is omitted)
2 Tbsp raw honey (may be omitted for yeast cleansing or other sugarless diets)
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder

Combine flour, salt, milk and water well with whisk or fork. Add remaining ingredients, reserving the baking soda and baking powder until the end so they will be active while the pancakes are cooking. It is also a good idea to mix those last two ingredients with one of the liquids or a small amount of reserved water first and then add to batter to avoid lumps in the pancakes.

Using a 1/4-cup measure, pour batter onto a moderately hot griddle (nonstick or greased). I set mine to 250 to 300 degrees. Any hotter, and they get too dark before the centers cook. Flip when partially done (you get to check, these usually don't bubble like white flour pancakes do). Serve with real maple syrup, blue agave nectar, or apple butter (I made some homemade apple-saucy stuff that was really yummy on top of these).

Variations:

Flour: Use buckwheat flour for some or all of the whole wheat flour. We have also experimented with some brown rice flour and potato flour with good results. The potato flour made them fluffier (although these are already very light for a whole wheat recipe), and we were careful to only add a small amount of rice flour, otherwise the rice taste was noticeable. A general guideline for flour substitutions: start by substituting small amounts (in a 1:1 ratio) and watch the batter for consistency. Then, add more liquid or flour as needed. (Different flours absorb different amounts of liquid. I find this is true even for different batches of whole wheat flour.)

Add-ins: I usually toss 1/4 to 1/3 cup of vegan carob chips into the batter just before cooking. They get all melty and remind me of my pre-no-chocolate days. :) Michael likes texture, so one time he added our usual carob chips as well as some chopped walnuts and raisins. Those were exciting pancakes! :) We also did small cut up pieces of apple once which was nice. Frozen blueberries (or other fruit) work well, the fruit thaws as the pancakes cook, so there's no need to plan ahead (that's my favorite thing in recipes).

Fruit/Vegetable Puree: I have only experimented with butternut squash, but I imagine applesauce or other purees of similar consistency (pumpkin, zucchini, carrot, etc.) would work just fine. Make some amount of the puree (or use leftovers). I would start with 1/2 to 1 cup for this recipe (un-doubled). Simply add it to the pancake batter after it is mixed entirely. There is no need to adjust liquid or flour, the purees usually are about the same consistency as the final batter, so it just increases the volume of the recipe. The nice thing about the squash was that Nathanael just thought they were regular pancakes, but he was getting vegetables too! They were barely noticeable as tiny pieces, and not at all in the flavor of the pancake itself.

Wow! I didn't realize we had relied so much on this recipe! I've made it a lot in the last six months!

If you make these please post a comment and let me know how they turn out. I'd love to hear about any experimentation! :)

P.S. Michael asked me to be sure to include the word 'delicious' in this post. I assure you, these are wonderful!