I like to include whole grains in my diet as often as possible. However, baked goods often seem heavier and can suffer. I usually solve this by using a 50/50 mix of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour and I am usually pleased with the results. However, recently I've started using whole wheat pastry flour in place of regular whole wheat flour in my baking recipes and I've been thrilled with the results. So, the other weekend, I decided to put whole wheat pastry flour to the test with my pancake recipe.
Some things are okay if you use whole wheat flour and they end up a bit heavy. A dense muffin or cookie might be overlooked, but a dense pancake? No can do! So, I was thrilled when I replaced all of the flour in my pancake recipe with whole wheat pastry flour and ended up with a light, fluffy pancake that couldn't be beat! Well, now I wanted to go one step further. The next weekend, I added some mashed banana and chopped pecans to the mix and presto! I had a batch of pancakes that made my heart swoon. Enjoy the recipe and be sure to let me know what you tweak to suit your tastes as well.
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Banana-Pecan Whole Wheat Pancakes
- 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 c. rolled oats
- 1 T. toasted wheat germ
- 2 T. dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 c. skim milk
- 1/3 c. low fat yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 banana, mashed
- 1/3 c. chopped pecans
- Cooking spray
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Add the milk, yogurt, egg, banana and pecans to the bowl and beat quickly to moisten the dry ingredients and form a batter.
Spray an electric griddle and heat to 400 degrees. Measure 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake and pour onto the hot griddle. When bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes, turn them over using a spatula and cook on the other side until they are golden brown. Transfer the pancakes to a heated platter and serve warm with the toppings of your choice.
- Yields: about a dozen pancakes
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes