Pancake Recipe

Okay, so we tried out a new pancake recipe yesterday and thought that we would pass it along.  It uses whole wheat (always best if freshly ground).  I'll explain the recipe and then it's health benefits afterwards.  This recipe is for 4-6 people, depending upon how hungry they are.

2 Cups whole wheat (or spelt) flour

2 Cups plain whole milk yogurt or kefir

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking soda

2 TBSP melted butter

Mix flour and yogurt/kefir together and let it sit in a warm place (~70-85 degrees F) for 12-24 hours.  Add remainder of ingredients and mix together.  Thin to desired consistency with water and pour dollops onto hot, greased griddle.  Flip pancakes when bubble form and break.

So, changes that I made to it.  Instead of butter, I substituted applesauce (same amount).  I also added 1/2 teaspoon of honey to the mixture, just to sweeten it a little.  Next, I thinned it with milk instead of water.  Lastly, I added frozen, wild blueberries (which is a must in our house).

These pancakes where great!  They had a slight tang (probably would have had a little more without the honey), but not as much as a good sourdough bread.  They were light and had a great flavor.

The health benefits to this pancake recipe: soaking the flour in the yogurt/kefir (and please use the whole milk kind and not the low fat stuff - the low fat kind is disgusting and doesn't provide the good saturated fats that your body needs, which is a topic for another time) gives you similar health benefits as having sourdough breads: it allows the bacteria in the yogurt/kefir to break down several compounds in the wheat flour.  The first is phytic acid.  Phytic acid binds to a lot of minerals in food, blocking absorption.  Lactobacillus, the main bacteria in yogurt and kefir, break this compound down, allowing more minerals to be absorbed.  Another advantage is that the bacteria help to break down gluten, which is a common irritant to the gut.  Yet another advantage is that the bacteria help breakdown some of the carbohydrates, lowering the glycemic index.

The only major problem is that you have to plan on having pancakes the day ahead, which is no problem for us, seeing as we eat pancakes a lot.  Anyways,  try out the recipe, let us know what you think, and, for those daring folk, mess around with the recipe and let us know what you like!