I can not recall where I first found my pancake recipe. At this point in time I have modified it so much that the original is a mere shadow of what I currently use. All these modifications have created a much healthier pancake recipe. There are a couple of easy ways to make your own pancake recipe healthier.
First, in place of a small portion of the flour add ground flax, chia seeds, wheat germ or bran. For 4 cups of flour make 1/2 a cup one or more of these additions.
Secondly, add a fruit or vegetable such as blueberries, pureed pumpkin, apples, applesauce, smashed banana or pureed sweet potato. You can add between 1 and 2 cups of these into a 4 cup batch of cakes.
Finally, switch from a traditional white flour to a whole wheat. I use a stoneground wheat. You can also substitute buckwheat or oat flour for a gluten free choice.
My family's favorite flavors of pancakes are pumpkin and blueberry. There are times that I have combined the two (also very delicious). I have also made banana and apple pancakes as well. This morning was our traditional batch of pumpkin and a batch of blueberry.
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| New England Long Pie Pumpkins ready to cook down for the pancakes. |
These are made from scratch (no boxed mixes here, though the modifications would definitely benefit the store bought mixes).
Here is the general recipe for a triple batch:
3 3/4 c. stoneground, whole wheat flour
1/4 c. + 1/8 c. ground flax seed
1/4 c. + 1/8 c. wheat germ or wheat bran
1/2 c. sugar
5 1/4 tsp. baking powder
6 eggs, beaten
3 c. milk
1 stick butter
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
For Pumpkin Pancakes, add 1 1/2 c. pureed pumpkin to the milk and butter mixture. Add 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon and 1/2 tbsp. nutmeg to the dry ingredients.
For Blueberry Pancakes, add 2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries to the milk and butter mixture. Add 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
When making apple cakes, dice the apples and utilize 2 cups as an addition to the milk and butter mixture. Add 1 tbsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tbsp. nutmeg to the dry ingredients.
For Banana Pancakes, add 1 1/2 c. smashed banana to the milk and butter mixture. Add 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
For Sweet Potato Pancakes, add 1 c. pureed sweet potato to the milk and butter mixture. Add 1/2 tbsp. allspice to the dry ingredients.
Procedure:
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Then add milk until just warm. Add vanilla. In a separate medium/large bowl, beat the eggs. Add milk and butter mixture to eggs and combine (add fruit at this time). In a large bowl, mix flour, flax, wheat germ or bran, sugar and baking powder (add spices at this time). Heat up griddle at medium to medium/low heat. Pour the wets into the dry mix and combine. Stir until all dry ingredients are moist. Use 1/3 c. measuring cup to ladle out batter onto the griddle. If your batter is really thick, use a bit more milk to thin it. When pancakes start to have air bubbles showing through the top, then flip. Cook until done in the middle - roughly 3 minutes.
One triple batch will make roughly 30 pancakes. From start to finish today (minus washing a few of the dishes), I worked at this for an hour and a half. A good investment for over 60 homemade pancakes! Enjoy some fresh and then, when cooled, place the rest in gallon freezer bags. Stick them in the freezer, and then reheat them during the week for a great breakfast. Make sure to use only pure maple syrup on these delicious cakes. To make this meal more complete add a healthy protein such as a hard boiled egg or scrambled eggs, or a serving of plain yogurt.
Yours in health,
Shelley Allen Health Coach MS, OTR/L
or Twitter @shelleyhealth1
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