Whole wheat and oat pancakes
3.5 cups whole wheat flour (any variety though I prefer a coarse grind)
2 cups oats (old-fashioned for chewier pancakes; instant for smoother)
3 tablespoons sugar (or more or less to taste; white or brown, though white is easier to mix)
1.5 teaspoons (half a tablespoon) baking soda
1 teaspoon (1/3 tablespoon) salt
1 egg (optional—or you could use 2)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (canola or similar)
2 cups buttermilk
3+ cups water (or more buttermilk for extra-rich pancakes)
Mix the five dry ingredients. Make a small well in the center and add the egg and oil there, beating them together lightly with a fork before mixing them into the rest. Gradually add the buttermilk and 3 cups of water, incorporating more of the dry mix into the liquid as you go along, making sure it doesn’t get too thick to stir. Keep adding water until you have the right consistency for pouring. You want it thin enough to pour but thick enough that you’ll still have to spread it a little with your fork or spoon after pouring. The batter will thicken over time, but you can always stir in more water.
Heat up a large skillet or griddle. Getting the temperature right can be tricky but comes with experience. Pour or ladle the batter onto the hot cooking surface. The batter should sizzle when it hits the surface; if it starts to burn before you can flip the pancake, turn down the heat. Spread the batter with your fork or spoon, until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. I make the pancakes about 7 inches in diameter and flip them with a spatula that’s about 4.5 inches wide; adjust the size as needed for your spatula width and flipping skill. Flip each pancake about as soon as it looks like you can, when the edges are starting to look solid.
After 40 years I’m still searching for the ideal skillet. A nonstick (Teflon or similar) surface is easiest, but the high heat you need for pancakes will be hard on the nonstick coating, so it won’t last. I have an anodized aluminum skillet that works pretty well if I spray it with oil from time to time, though the error margin with the oil and heat is rather narrow. Recently I got a fancy “carbon nonstick” skillet that’s both slippery and durable, but it doesn’t distribute the heat very evenly so my pancakes tend to burn in the middle before the edges are done.
Feel free to sprinkle nuts or seeds on a pancake before flipping it. I don’t advise adding fruit while it’s in the skillet, since that’ll make a mess. Add syrup, honey, butter, jam, and/or fruit at the table. When blueberries are in season, I like to put a few dozen in a small bowl and microwave them (covered) until they burst and turn into a delicious sauce.
The recipe makes about 16 7-inch pancakes. The batter will keep in the fridge for about a week. It’s especially handy to mix the batter in a special-purpose batter bowl with a pour spout and lid: one container for mixing, pouring, and storing.
If anyone out there knows a good vegan substitute for buttermilk, I’d love to hear about it!
