Easy Whole Wheat Pancakes
- PREP 10min
- COOK 20min
- TOTAL 30min
Whole wheat flour makes pancakes taste nutty and delicious. Our recipe for whole wheat pancakes is flexible. You can use 100% whole wheat flour (tips below the recipe) or do what I do and combine the whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour. This combination makes our pancakes more light and fluffy.
You Will Need
3/4 cup (100g) whole wheat flour
3/4 cup (100g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups (295ml to 350ml) milk, dairy or non-dairy
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the skillet
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Make Batter
Melt the butter and set it aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. (Don’t worry if the butter solidifies slightly).
Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Pour in the milk mixture and stir gently with a fork until the flour is just incorporated. A few small lumps are okay. As the batter sits, it should start to bubble. The batter will be pretty thick. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons more milk to thin it out if it is unreasonably thick.
Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle in a few drops of water to test if it’s ready. You want them to dance around a bit and evaporate.
Brush the skillet with melted butter (this creates crispy edges, but you can skip it if using a quality nonstick pan).
Scoop the batter onto the skillet using a 1/4 cup measure or large cookie scoop, and spread each pancake into a 4-inch circle.
After 1 to 2 minutes, the edges will look dry, and bubbles will form and pop on the surface. Flip the pancakes and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until lightly browned and cooked in the middle.
Serve immediately with warm syrup, butter, and berries.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Using 100% whole wheat flour: Use 1 ½ cups (195g) whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour absorbs liquid more than all-purpose flour, so you may need to add a bit of extra milk to the pancake batter before cooking your pancakes.
- Measuring flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded. Level off the top with a knife for accurate measuring. For even more accuracy, use a scale and measure the flour by weight (in grams).
- Best baking powder: Use aluminum-free baking powder (Rumford and Bob’s Red Mill are examples), as they prevent the tinny flavor that can appear when baking powder is used in higher quantities (like in this recipe). I use Bob’s Red Mill baking powder in this recipe with great results.
- Recipe changes: On 5/18/2024, I no longer warm the milk before mixing it with the butter and egg for better texture. Feel free to use the older method of heating the milk, but I no longer find it necessary. This change is reflected in the recipe above.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.