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Better Pancakes in the Name of Science

Kid proof

By Blessing AkpanPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 5 min read
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Better Pancakes in the Name of Science
Photo by nikldn on Unsplash

Here’s a 100% whole wheat pancake recipe with a brilliant trick that makes it tastes as good as your favorite buttermilk pancake recipe. Early in the pandemic, when all-purpose flour was scarce, and all of us cooking at home were starting to get a lot more experimental and work with what we could get, whole grain flowers were much easier to find. You just had to know what to do with them. But this recipe and its trick have stuck with me ever since. And I think it’ll stick with you too.

For all the moments that you just want to eat more whole grains or you want your pancakes to come with their nutty flavor, to bounce off of meatball and salted butter or berries and sour cream. You’re going to learn the simple science behind getting whole wheat pancakes not to taste like healthy food.

This discerning palate does not appreciate the graininess and all the seeds, so you make a griddle cake mix, i.e., a blend of whole grains and a bunch of different seeds.

Throughout the pandemic, what I did was, started out making those all-purpose flour pancakes. And I pulled out all the seeds and the whole grains, which leaves you with the white flour pancake that most people are used to. And then, slowly and surely, I started incorporating the whole wheat into it until eventually, it was all whole wheat.

So as I was doing that - gradually increasing the whole wheat flour in the pancakes, I did an overnight soak. You allow the whole wheat flour to hydrate with the milk fully. Due to enzymatic activity, you make more of the sugars available, which leads to more caramelization in the cooking process.

And what it yields is a pancake that is a little bit sweeter, and also, it’s sort of smoother and creamier in texture because the whole wheat flour has been fully hydrated by that longer amount of time.

The wheat itself is bringing its sweetness so, that kind of allows you to use a little less sugar in the batter, and it’s a little more well-rounded.

This rings true for the way we do things in the bakery, which is, if you can do stuff ahead of time, it makes it quicker the next morning. We do this primarily for the reason that it makes the bread better, but it also is convenient to our schedule. So we mix up the dough in the morning, and then we shape it into loaves in the afternoon. Then we bake it the next morning.

Depending on where you start the process, it’s like a 24 to 48-hour process. We take the shaped loaves, and we put them in the oven; we have baked bread an hour later. And so by mixing it the night before, when it comes time to make breakfast because it’s mixed the night before, all you need is 10 minutes - they’re gonna be awesome, and they’re gonna be on the table. So I think it’s a really practical move, and it just takes a little bit of planning.

If you made a side-by-side comparison, and you were paying attention, you’d probably notice that they’re not quite as good. I mean, the truth is with pancakes, you’re not just eating the pancake plain like you sometimes are with bread. You cover the pancake, butter, maybe peanut butter, maybe maple syrup, berries, and honey, and whipped cream. And so, you know, it’s not as noticeable. But I do recommend that the best pancake and best whole-grain pancake is mixed at least the night before, or at least eight to 12 hours before it’s turned into a pancake.

The ones where it was baked off right away were great. It’s a little bit drier a little bit and had not soaked in all the flavor. You know exactly what whole grain flour does. But the thing that happened with the soaked ones was, it became like buttermilk pancakes, but with more flavor. It was so tender. The thing with pancakes is that you’re going to be able to compensate, no matter what happens.

Ingredients:

1 cup (113 grams) whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup milk (whatever kind you have)

1 tablespoon sourdough starter (optional)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the pan and serving

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate chips, peanut butter, fresh fruit, or maple syrup for serving

Preparation:

  • In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, milk, and sourdough starter, if using. Cover and refrigerate overnight for a smoother, more tender texture. In the morning, stir in the sugar, butter, egg, baking soda, salt, and vanilla and mix until combined; don’t worry about overmixing.
  • Melt some butter on a griddle or in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Ladle on some batter, making pancakes of any size you'd like; the batter will be very thick, so you may need to use the back of a spoon to help spread the dollops. If you’re planning to add chocolate chips or berries, do it now. Flip the pancakes after bubbles rise to the surface and the bottoms brown, 2 to 4 minutes.
  • Cook on the second side until lightly browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and top as you like.

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About the Creator

Blessing Akpan

I am a photographer of thoughts, let me capture your soul.

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