Basic Whole Grain Pancakes (Soaked)

by KimiHarris on November 20, 2008


I was really missing our sourdough pancakes (I haven’t been making them because we are in between starters right now), so I thought I would try my hand at making a diary free soaked pancake recipe.

These pancakes are really delicious. Soaking them for 12-24 hours makes them more digestible and light in texture. I thought about adding this or that to them , but really, when it came down to it, I just wanted a basic pancake with a wonderful flavor and a good texture. And that’s what I got! I used coconut milk with vinegar to soak the flour, which makes these dairy free pancakes taste similar to buttermilk pancakes. Buttermilk can, of course, be substituted for you dairy people. Nut milk might be another diary free option instead of the coconut milk.

I actually made this recipe several times already this week (Elena and I eat leftovers for snacks, cold from the fridge. We think they are yummy that way). Elena has been getting a funny rash around her mouth that seems to be related to food intolerances (any of you other parents dealt with this before?), and it seems that eggs may be one of the culprits. So we have found that this recipe works great without eggs or an egg replacement. It does change the texture a bit, but they were still good. Another option for those with allergies.

Enjoy your pancakes with lot of butter (or coconut oil!), and real maple syrup or a berry sauce. We usually enjoy these for breakfast, but they also make a frugal dinner when combined with eggs and/or sausage on the side!

Basic Whole Grain Pancakes

You can easily half this recipe, if desired.

3 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup of coconut milk tonic (I used the one with just water added)
1 cup of water (or another cup of coconut milk tonic for a richer result)
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

Gently combine the above ingredients and cover. Leave out on the counter top overnight, up to 24 hours.

When ready to make, add to the batter:

4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda (you may want to sift the baking soda and baking powder if lumpy)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of coconut oil, gently melted in the pan you plan to use to make your pancakes in.

Stir until well combined, adding water to thin down the batter, if needed.

Over med-high heat, melt some coconut oil in a large saucepan. When a few sprinkles of water in the pan sputter, your pan is ready. Using a small ladle, or a measuring cup, pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. If your pan is large enough, do three separate pancakes at the same time. Cook until the bottom is lightly browned and the top is full of bubbles, and turn over. Cook the other side until browned, and the pancake is cooked all the way through. You may need to adjust the heat as you continue to make your pancakes. Remove your pancakes and keep in the oven at 200 degrees on a cookie sheet while you make the rest of the pancakes.

Enjoy!





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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }

Anonymous 11.21.08 at 12:46 pm

WOW….Thank you so much for recipe…I look forward to making them…I was going to look in your recipes to see if you had a sprouted pancake coconut recipe….b/c we really needed one….we made pancakes last night with the coconut milk tonic but they were not sprouted & a little runny…. :(…so I am excited to have your sprouted recipe to try….

Thanks again for this recipe…
Jessica O.

Sarah 11.21.08 at 1:23 pm

Yum! I have a homemade whole wheat “mix” that I use for pancakes a bunch with the baking soda and all that stuff already mixed in, I just add the milk in the evening before and then the egg and butter the next day and we’re good to go! Yours look fantastic for those with dairy intolerances.

The rash that you mentioned (especially having it right around the mouth) is one that we have encountered frequently in my family - but it is normally due to eating too much things with acid in them (specifically, citrus or tomatoes). I can eat one citrus fruit a day or so, but if I eat more than one, or have citrus plus pineapple, or a LOT of fresh tomatoes (say in a fresh tomato spaghetti sauce - this is especially prevalent with roma’s rather than sweeter varieties like grape) for example, I get a sore mouth and often a little rash or at least “itchy” skin. Especially on delicate areas like the inside of your wrist or elbow. Just another food to consider since this time of year we tend to eat more citrus . . . it might be due to that!

Thanks again for the recipe!

Best,
Sarah

Kimi Harris 11.21.08 at 1:32 pm

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for the heads up. I think that Elena’s is due to nuts and eggs because it seems to appear after she has eaten those foods. We actually haven’t been eating any oranges yet, but that’s makes sense (acid food causing rashes).

Thanks for the comment! We will sometimes have tomatoes, so i will watch that, and see if it makes any difference. :-)

Tara 11.22.08 at 3:59 pm

The rash you mentioned is one we have seen come and go on our five year old. I’ve found a link to eggs as well. Also, when I notice the rash, I increase her probiotic intake and that takes care of it.

I’d be interested to hear if you notice anything if you remove the eggs.

Tara

Anita @ Whole Food Cookin' 11.23.08 at 5:14 pm

Could she be fighting a cold or virus?

Kimi, I am learning about soaking my grains and nuts. I’m not sure about how to soak nuts. Do you have any resources or links that could be helpful. Or could you share how you soak nuts if you do that yourself.

Thanks so much.

belinda 11.24.08 at 12:34 am

Hi Kimi,

DH is currently on a really restrictive diet for the next 3 months or so and can’t have anything with added sugars or fermented.

Do you think it would adversely affect the recipe to use lemon rather than Apple Cider Vinegar as my acid in the soaker?

Kind Regards
Belinda

Sarah 11.24.08 at 6:28 am

Oh. My. Word. These are excellent pancakes!! Being all whole wheat I thought they might be pretty heavy, but surprisingly, they were very light. Lighter than when I use white flour even. My kids loved them and they were really filling!!

As for the rash. I actually have a daughter who has some food sensitivities. If she has the problem right after she’s eaten something then you are right, it probably is that food. To test the theory you could give her just scrambled eggs and watch. My dd face gets red and splotchy around the mouth while she’s eating and then gets the rash. If it is the case take eggs out completely. My dd was off eggs completely for a year and grew out of the intolerance. Now she can eat them just fine. The sooner you take the offending food out and keep it out for a year or so the more likely she will grow out of the sensitivity. My dd was allergic to eggs, milk, beef, nuts, and sesame. After only 18 months she only has the nut and sesame allergy. AND we have been going to a allergist. I didn’t want to do that but it was necessary in our case. So, in a nut shell, I’d take out the foods and see if her skin clears up, if so keep her off for awhile and give it to her again in a year to see how it is.

Thanks again for the recipes. I’m going to make the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Just a question, do you have a soaked pie crust recipe?

Momma Bear 11.24.08 at 7:08 am

these are really good. i tried them plain and wasn’t as fond of them. but i think im used to sweeter pancakes. with butter and syrup these are awesome! thx for sharing.

Kimi Harris 11.24.08 at 8:32 am

Tara,

I should start giving her probiotics again and see if that helps. Thanks for the tip! That is very helpful to know.

Hi Anita,

I wish it was just a cold, but it’s been something that has bothered her for a while now!
This post talks about soaking nuts.
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/07/soaking-nuts.html

Belinda,

Yes, I am sure lemon juice would work great!

Sarah,

Yeah! I am so glad that you liked them. I really do find that soaking batters can make things so LIGHT! Very nice when you are working with whole wheat.

Thanks for sharing about your experience with your children. I hope that it is the same with mine (that she just grows out of it). How did you know that she had grown out of it, by the way?

As far as a soaked pie crust recipe, I have done different things. Sprouted, and ground flour probably is the easiest to use. But I have wondered if one of the cracker recipes on this site would work for a pie crust?

These last few times I’ve truthfully just used white flour! (Which is a rare day in this kitchen!)

Hi Momma Bear,

It is true that they aren’t very sweet by themselves. I should have mentioned that you can add a few tablespoons to a1/4 cup of sweetener to the pancake batter to fix that. :-) But I’m glad you liked them in the end!

Sarah 11.24.08 at 2:30 pm

The easiest way to test to see if she’s out grown the allergy is to take it out for awhile (6mo-12mo.) The give it to her again and see if she develops the rash. For example, with an egg allergy, I take the egg out of her diet now. If the rash continues then there is something else bothering her. If it goes away then that’s probably it. Wait 6mo-12mo. Then give her either a scrambled egg, that would be the most direct way or give her say pancakes that you know she can eat without the egg but use eggs instead. When we started reintroducing eggs it seemed easier to digest and lessen the likelihood of reaction if it was in something like pancakes. If that works continue that way for a little bit and try a little scrambled eggs at some point and see what happens. I hope that helps. Feel free to email me if you want.

Kimi Harris 11.25.08 at 1:28 pm

Sarah,

Thanks, that’s helpful. :-) That’s along the lines of what I was thinking of doing. It does seem like allergies when they are little, can be grown out of.

But after you posted, I thought maybe you were having them tested to see if they were over it. So I am glad to know that the simple, test it yourself method worked for you!

Chiot's Run 01.15.09 at 7:39 am

I just made these for breakfast this morning and they were fantastic. I topped them with some cream cheese and some blackberry syrup we made from foraged berries we picked this summer. YUM YUM!

Emily 02.06.09 at 12:45 pm

I made these yesterday for dinner and my husband and I absolutely loved them! Very very good and easy. I just set the flour to soak before going to work and finished them up when I got home. I did substitute yogurt for the coconut milk (what I had on hand) and added a little vanilla to the batter and a little drizzle of raw honey. Delicious!!!

If anyone is looking for a substitute for sugar-laden pancake syrups, try this!
mix 1 Tbsp of melted butter, 2-3 Tbsp of all-fruit spread (i.e., Simply Fruit), and 1-2 tsp of raw honey. yum :-)

Trish 02.23.09 at 1:15 pm

Thanks for sharing this recipe. Do you think it would work with using regular milk? If so, I assume I would just allow it to soak in the fridge?

KimiHarris 02.23.09 at 2:01 pm

Trish,

Use buttermilk to replace the coconut milk and vinegar, and then let it soak on the counter. :-)

Trish 02.25.09 at 4:54 pm

Thanks Kimi! I am looking forward to trying this recipe.

Jen 03.31.09 at 7:43 am

Works good in a waffle maker too!

If I don’t have buttermilk, can I use regular milk and still leave on the counter? I know I have “faked” buttermilk before in cooking by adding a little vinegar to the milk for a few minutes, with the vinegar already in there will it make it like buttermilk?

Alana Flynn 05.03.09 at 11:48 am

I tried the soaking with Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pancake mix. I used coconut milk and AC Vinegar to soak overnight. Then I added two eggs (that’s what the bag of mix calls for), a teaspoon of baking powder and baking soda (the mix already has baking powder). The pancakes were delicious. No aftertaste due to the rice flour. They were a little on the soggy side, delicious regardless. How do I make it less soggy? More eggs?

Alana

Kara 06.24.09 at 8:04 am

Thanks for this recipe! I’ve tried a half dozen of your recipes thus far and they’ve all turned out great. When trying to convince my husband of the benefits of soaking/sprouting our grains, it’s much easier being able to use recipes that taste delicious too.

ann 06.29.09 at 4:59 pm

I tried these last weekend and the flavor was great, but they were super thin. The batter was so runny they wouldn’t hold their shape, just ran all over the skillet. Any idea what could have gone wrong?

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