Whole Grain Oatmeal Pancakes: Take 3

The third times a charm, as they say. I've been making these pancakes in one way, shape or form for the last three and a half years making slight adjustments here and there and experimenting with different flavor combinations. My most recent modification to the recipe makes these pancakes completely dairy free. Well I guess they were always dairy free since I usually used hemp milk to make my them, but now I use no milk at all, from a cow or alternative sources like hemp, soy, or almond. That's right, there is NO MILK in these pancakes and they are amazing.

The last time I wrote about these pancakes I shared a tip I learned from watching an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown in which they whipped their egg whites to add loft (fluffy airiness) to the pancakes. I still recommend this technique for larger batches of pancakes that include two or more eggs, but I'm usually just making these pancakes for my me and my wife so I just whisk the egg vigorously before incorporating the other wet ingredients.

And now, the newest tip I want to share with you for making amazing, light and delicious pancakes, replace the milk/milk alternative with soda water. Yes, that's right, soda water! The carbonation will add some loft and lightness to the pancake batter and its neutral flavor will allow the other ingredients in this pancake recipe to shine. My favorite add-ins include bananas and chopped walnuts, fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries, and fresh or thawed, frozen peaches and crystallized ginger. I also like to top my pancakes with more fresh berries, like raspberries or blackberries, and a handful of granola along with real butter and 100% Vermont maple syrup.

I've also tried the recipe with rolled oats and all whole wheat flour. They came out great this way too if you want to skip the all-purpose flour but you'll likely need to add a little more soda water. The recipe below is the one I use when I'm cooking just for me and J but it can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, whatever. If you double or triple the recipe, I highly recommend separating the eggs and whipping the egg whites before incorporating all the wet ingredients. You can also adjust the add-in proportions to suit your tastes, or skip them all together. Enjoy!

Whole Grain Oatmeal Pancakes
Serves 2 (makes approximately six 4.5" pancakes)
Base ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats (Quaker Old Fashioned oats)
  
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1-2 tbsp. honey or agave syrup
• 1 cup soda water 

Add-in suggestions:

• 1 to 1 1/2 bananas, sliced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

OR

• 1/2 to 1 cup strawberries, cored and roughly chopped

OR

• 1 cup blueberries

OR

• 1/2 cup peaches, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

 
Directions

1. Preheat a griddle over medium heat
2. Whisk together the oats, flours, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger and salt
3. Using the same whisk in a second bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, , oil, egg yolks, vanilla, and honey
4. Pour the wet into the dry mixture and stir until just combined
5. Mix in any add-ins like bananas and walnuts, or blueberries, or any other fruit you like
6. Pour batter into skillet using about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake, the batter will be thick
   
7. Once bubbles form on the outside of the pancake and do not fill in again - it is time to flip them over
   
8. Flip once, finish cooking, then serve with butter and pure Vermont maple syrup