My son really loves having pancakes for breakfast and would be happy if I made them every day for him. However, making traditional white flour pancakes on a regular basis starts to feel a little too decadent, even for me... So, I decided to come up with a healthy pancake recipe that wouldn't make me feel like I'm feeding my kid from the food groups on "The Elf" - candy... candy canes... candy corn... and syrup. Especially the day after Halloween when some of us parents wake up with a sugar hang over from eating our kids candy. Not that I've ever done that...
I've found using yogurt as the base for my recipe really makes a difference to the taste and texture. When I've tried using milk or even buttermilk, the result wasn't great when combined with whole wheat flour - think sawdust. So, I decided to try good old yogurt and the pancakes came out beautifully. As well, I add a tablespoon of ground flax to boost the fibre and for the obvious health benefits. Okay, who am I kidding, I'm no nutritionist... I like the subtle nutty flavour of the flax which also compliments the whole wheat flavour. As well, I often spread a little peanut butter on the pancakes for my son (instead of maple syrup) and that really plays up the nuttiness of the flax too.
In my search for a great whole wheat recipe, I've found that most from scratch recipes out there make a truck load of pancakes. This recipe makes only about 6 small flapjack sized pancakes (or 3 to 4 larger pancakes). Which is perfect for me, since I'm usually cooking enough for just my son and I. My husband isn't really in love with pancakes (I know... He's crazy), not to mention the words "whole wheat" send him running in the other direction. However, if you're cooking for a crowd and need more, doubling or tripling the recipe works great. If you end up with any leftover pancakes, I pop them in the freezer to bring out on those mornings when I can't handle life and need a fast breakfast. I just re-heat them in my toaster and they turn out like they were freshly made.
I like to cook the pancakes in a cast iron skillet on the stove as opposed to using an electric flat top grill. I find the cast iron nicely browns the outside of each pancake while also cooking the inside of the pancake through. A trick I've come up with for portioning out batter into the skillet is to use a trigger ice cream scoop (which I always use for portioning out muffin batter, so I figured this would work well for pancakes too - and it did).
3/4 cup yogurt (I use Activia Vanilla)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
Butter for frying and if you want a little on the finished pancakes
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, egg, vanilla and mix until just combined. Add the flour, flax, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix again until just combined, be careful not to over mix the batter to ensure a light fluffy pancake.
Heat a skillet over medium low heat and add a little butter to the pan (I also add a little bit of canola or vegetable oil to prevent the butter from burning).
Using a trigger ice cream scoop, portion out pancakes into the skillet ensuring there is ample space between each one. The pancakes will fluff up a little while cooking so you don't want to overcrowd the pan and end up with one big weird looking pancake.
Let the pancakes cook on the first side for about 3 minutes (the cooking time will depend on your stove and the type of pan you have - use a spatula to gently lift up the corner of a pancake to check the progress), Then flip each pancake over and cook for another 3 minutes or so on the other side. If for some reason the pancakes are well browned on the outside, but the middle feels too soft and squishy when you gently push down on the surface. Then stick them in a 275 F oven for 10 minutes to make sure the pancakes are cooked all the way through. Nobody likes a doughy pancake.
Serve with some warmed maple syrup with a pinch of cinnamon and enjoy. If some maple syrup runs down your chin, then you know you're having a little too much fun.
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