No, seriously, I'll tolerate pancakes from a mix, but pancakes from scratch are SO much better and really not very time consuming. My favorite recipe for my entire life, up until about a month ago, was the one I grew up on. I'm pretty sure the recipe came from my mom's old Betty Crocker cookbook that's falling apart at the seam. I don't know for sure that's where it came from because I memorized it so long ago. Every Saturday morning while my parents were milking cows I would make pancakes for the family. Except back then we didn't buy buttermilk; my mom would just add some vinegar to the whole milk before she headed to the barn so when I got up it was good and thick for pancakes. Anyways... I digress.
Recently, in an attempt to make the recipe more healthy, I made a few changes and I'd like to share that recipe with you now. It's even better than the original! The major change I made was to use oatmeal and white whole wheat flour rather than regular white flour and added flax seed. If you've never used white whole wheat flour, I encourage you to give it a try. It seems as though you can substitute it for 100% of regular white flour in recipes (I haven't had any trouble doing this) and it has the same nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour.
I apologize for the lack of mouth-watering photos, but the light just wasn't up to par this evening as I made pancakes, eggs, and sausages for supper. :)
Whole Wheat Pancakes
2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. instant oatmeal
2 T. ground flax seed
1 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
Grease and heat a griddle. Beat eggs in a bowl. Add buttermilk and oil; mix just until blended, being careful to not over mix. Add oatmeal and flax seed; mix just until blended. Put the remaining ingredients into a sifter or separate bowl to mix together. Add to liquids and mix just until blended; be careful to not over mix. Test the griddle by tossing a few droplets of water on it. If the griddle is hot enough, they droplets will jump, sizzle, and evaporate. Spoon pancake batter onto the griddle and watch for the sides to become slightly set. They won't form bubbles like they do with regular flour, so you just need to periodically check the underside and flip when it's medium brown. Cook the other side; remove when medium brown. I like to serve the pancakes with strawberries, raspberry sauce, blueberry sauce, or real maple syrup.
Here's a link to a printable page with the recipe.
