Our Favorite Light,Tender,Wheat and Oat Pancakes

I used to rarely make pancakes. I mean, I like breakfast to have some nutritional value- and, let’s face it- pancakes made with white flour and then coated with a sugary syrup doesn’t really bring much nutrition to the table- at all!

On the other side of the coin, I do not like to make something simply because it is healthy. It MUST still taste good. So many “wheat” pancakes are too dense or too dry, and less than satisfactory. Just forget it!

And then I found this Wheat and Oat Pancake Recipe from King Arthur Flour. These are SO much better!  It is the only pancake recipe I make now- and all of us love them!

Here’s why I like them:

1. Healthy- almost all wheat flour and oats

2. Still light, still tender, still tasty- like a pancake is supposed to be!

3. So fast!- The initial time you make these, you prepare a very large amount of the dry ingredients, and then you freeze what you do not use. Then, whenever you want pancakes for breakfast- you just pull it out and add it to the wet ingredients. Couldn’t be easier!

4. My kids enjoy pancakes and I no longer have to feel guilty about giving them a worthless breakfast- and actually am giving them a nutritious breakfast!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes are a yummy breakfast I like to make at least a couple times each fall when pumpkin is plentiful and usually on sale. But, somehow the fall season slipped by me this year without making these! So, the other morning, I surprised the kids by preparing them. My daughter just loves anything pumpkin, so these pancakes are always an anticipated treat for her!

The addition of pumpkin also revs up the nutritional value of the pancake since pumpkin is a great source of beta carotene, vitamin A and many other vitamins. I think the flavor combination of the pumpkin pancake and syrup is sooo good, too- quite an excellent duo!  

• 1 cup flour
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup (heaping) canned pumpkin (*canned pumpkin is an ingredient I don’t mind buying since it only contains pumpkin in the ingredients, without anything added! I use “Libby” brand.)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the beaten egg, oil, milk and pumpkin.

Mix until well combined.

Melt a little butter on a griddle.

Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto hot griddle and slightly spread them out a little bit.  (the heat should be between medium and medium-high. You want the pancakes to have a chance to cook in the middle, before the sides get too brown.)

This batter is a little more dense than a regular pancake batter. So, It might take a minute or two more than a traditional pancake would. When the bottoms are slightly brown, flip over and allow to brown on that side. (I would estimate each side taking 2-3 minutes, but just keep an eye on them)

Serve with syrup.