A Delicious 100% Whole Grain Pancake Mix Recipe

Pancakes are generally very white affairs; that is, white flour, white sugar, white buttermilk and white shortening. They taste pretty good, but can leave you feeling bloated and sick. Similarly, many people associate "whole grain" pancakes with deprivation. But the fact of the matter is that you can make your favorite pancakes at home using entirely whole grains. It just takes a little ingenuity and experimentation.

I created the following recipe myself.

Multi-grain Pancake Mix

1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup oatmeal or oat bran
2 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sucanat or turbinado sugar
2 T aluminum-free baking powder (available in your health food store)
1 t baking soda
1 T salt

Combine these ingredients and place in an airtight container. They will keep for a long while at room temperature. When you're ready to make your pancakes, follow this basic recipe.

Multi-grain Pancakes

2 cups Multi-grain Pancake Mix
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs

Adjust the milk until the right consistency is achieved. The batter should be thick, but not too thick. Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour a small amount of canola oil in a pre-heated pan or griddle over medium low heat. Put your pancake batter in a one quarter measuring cup, and place in pan. Watch carefully, but each side should cook in about three minutes.

Here's another variation.

"Buttermilk" Multi-grain Pancakes

2 cups Multi-grain Pancake Mix
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup water
2 eggs

Here, nonfat yogurt makes a great substitution for buttermilk, and has a very similar flavor and texture with a lot less calories. For a richer recipe, try whole plain yogurt. Be sure to mix the yogurt well, since the fat in whole milk yogurt rises to the top of the container. Also, you can use buttermilk, but I would save the real buttermilk pancakes for special occasions, and reduce the canola oil to compensate for the additional fat. Another trick is to water the buttermilk down a bit, perhaps by about one quarter volume.

Feel free to play around with this recipe. I have used pureed fruit, like apples and bananas, in place of the dairy. This is a great way to sneak some healthy fruit into your diet, and the kids love it. Also, try adding blueberries to the batter, or topping the pancakes with sliced fruit like strawberries, or if you're really in the mood to splurge, throw in a quarter cup of chocolate chips. Whole grain pancakes are very versatile and can be just as delicious and as rich as white flour pancakes, if you want them to be.