A few months ago I grabbed a bag of flour off the shelf at the grocery and had quite the surprise when I opened it in my kitchen and saw it was brown. I had been reaching for bread flour, but instead put whole wheat flour in my cart.
I had never used whole wheat flour, so I wasn°®¶¹app™t sure what to do with it. First, I went ahead and made the bread I had intended to bake. It worked fine, but whole wheat bread isn°®¶¹app™t my favorite thing so I didn°®¶¹app™t want to use the flour with that recipe again. That left, well, a whole lot of whole wheat in my pantry.
I forgot about it for a few weeks until I had a craving for pancakes °®¶¹app“ then the light bulb went off. I did a little experimenting with my favorite pancake recipe, and what follows is the result.
These are fluffy and subtly flavored by cinnamon, though you could leave the spice out if you prefer (or add more). I suggest trying a hint of nutmeg as well. The pancakes have some nice texture because of the whole wheat.
This recipe works with all-purpose flour, which had always been my go-to for pancakes. You can also use dairy milk or a different plant-based milk of your choice. I have found that thicker plant-based milks, such as oat milk, may need to be thinned with water.
When cooking pancakes, I do what I think of as the jiggle test. As soon as bubbles break on the surface of the batter and the holes remain open, it°®¶¹app™s time to flip the pancakes over. I give them a minute then carefully (they°®¶¹app™re hot!) touch the top and give it a gentle jiggle. If the top and bottom slide freely like two pieces of bread with jelly in the middle, the pancake isn°®¶¹app™t set in the center. When it feels firm and there°®¶¹app™s no jelly jiggle, the pancakes are done.
The number of pancakes you can make from this recipe will vary based on what size of pancake you desire. I use a 1/4-cup measuring cup as a scoop and get 10 to 12 pancakes.
The pancakes can be refrigerated for several days or frozen to make a quick breakfast. (Or dessert, just sayin°®¶¹app™.)
To freeze, wrap two or three pancakes in plastic wrap then place in a zip-top bag. Reheat thawed pancakes in a microwave or skillet on low.
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Pancakes
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients and set aside.
Melt butter in the microwave or on the stove. In a medium bowl, mix the butter, milk and vanilla.
Add milk mixture and egg to dry ingredients and mix to combine well. If batter is too think, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Coat a griddle or large skillet with cooking spray and place on stove over medium heat. Working in batches, spoon pancake batter in desired amount onto the griddle and cook until bubbles break on the surface and the bottom is browned. Flip and complete cooking.
Serve immediately, or cool for refrigeration or freezing.
Recipe Swap appears occasionally in °®¶¹app. Corey McMaken is a home cook, not a food expert. To share a comment or favorite recipe for possible inclusion, email cmcmaken@jg.net or write to Corey McMaken, c/o °®¶¹app, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802.
