Cast Iron

Fruit-Laden, Whole-Grain Pancakes

August 18, 2013
4.6
5 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4 to 5
Author Notes

Adapted from the Gourmet Cookbook. Key changes: white whole wheat instead whole wheat; some yogurt in place of milk, and butter in place of oil; and a lot of fruit layered on top. —Nicholas Day

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Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 3/4 cup whole millk
  • 1/2 cup yogurt
  • a few fruits of your choice: bananas, peaches, apples all work well.
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, milk, and yogurt until smooth, and then add this to the flour mixture, whisking to combine the two. Let the batter rest for five minutes or so until it thickens (whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than white flour).
  2. In a clean bowl, or with a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites gently into the batter.
  3. Cut the fruit into relatively thin slices and set aside. (Not too thin, though: you want to taste the fruit, not have it disappear into the pancake.)
  4. Grease a griddle or cast-iron pan with butter (or vegetable oil, if you prefer). Cook the pancakes over moderate heat, dropping several tablespoon sized scoops of the batter onto the hot griddle. Then decorate the top of the pancakes with the sliced fruit. I cover my pancakes with immodest amounts of fruit -- I like to have fruit in every bite -- but feel free to use less, of course. When bubbles appear on the top of the pancake -- peeking through where there is no fruit -- flip and then cook until the fruit is caramelized. Serve immediately, fruit up or down (depending on how photogenic or mangled your fruit looks).

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I'm the author of a book on the science and history of infancy, Baby Meets World. My website is nicholasday.net; I tweet over at @nicksday. And if you need any good playdoh recipes, just ask.

24 Reviews

Lauren M. August 7, 2018
I had these with peaches and they were wonderful! I used whole wheat flour in place of both the cornmeal and the white whole wheat flour. Great tang from the yogurt. A great way to start the day in any season!
70&holding March 16, 2018
I like to make this with mixed berries! Have you tried the bacon pancakes? Not the crumbled bacon. For this you make the batter just a little thinner. Make a 'strip' cake rather than round, just a little longer than the bacon you have cooked, place bacon in the strip then top with more batter. This is great with any topping. Perfect for grab n go!! Children love them. These do NOT freeze and reheat well. I like them at room temp, with my evening coffee. Oh, has anyone tried making pancakes using coffee flour? I add molasses to the batter and no sugar, they are excellent. I know Trader Joe's and Sprouts carry the coffee flour!raf
aussiefoodie February 6, 2016
I whipped up these delicious pancakes for my son yesterday afternoon. They were delicious, and my husband and I also indulged in a couple. I used regular whole wheat flour and only a pinch of salt. I also used the Genius recipe technique of not whisking the egg whites up, but simply mixing them in right before cooking the pancakes - they turned out beautifully fluffy. I used banana and cooked the pancakes in a cast iron skillet - the banana browned up and caramelized slightly making the pancakes extra delicious!
Kris May 27, 2015
I tried these with King Arthur white whole wheat flour and the pancakes were flat. They didnt fluff up and felt dry. I am noticing that the white whole flour is "drying" out the final product. The same thing happened in banana bread as well. Should I use less flour than called for? or add something for moisture?
Lauren M. August 7, 2018
Hi Kris, when I cook or bake with whole wheat flours I generally let the batter sit for about 15 minutes to hydrate more completely, but extra moisture could be great, too, for some help with lift.
catalinalacruz February 4, 2015
This is the same procedure I use for pineapple pancakes. Slice and core a very sweet, ripe fresh pineapple. Pour a pancake's worth of batter on a hot griddle, set a slice of pineapple on the batter. Cook, then turn and cook on the pineapple side. The pineapple will turn molten and carmelize. If the pineapple is sweet enough, the pancake doesn't need any syrup, just a dollop of plain yogurt.
Kabra January 1, 2015
Agree that you should use half as much salt. For camping, bring a quart sized mason jar with all the wet ingredients already in it and dry ingredients together in a baggie, then when you want to make the pancakes, pour in dry ingredients and shake it up, pour right out of the jar. Lastly, to make into waffles, add some veggie oil to the batter, about 1-2 Tb so it doesn't stick and spritz non-stick spray onto the top waffle grid before closing it onto the fruit side.
Soleil December 28, 2014
Those look really great.
Mary December 21, 2014
Can someone give the nutritional and caloric values for this recipe?
icook.recipes December 18, 2014
Delicious, I'll give it a try this weekend.
leelang October 9, 2014
oh good
Scott B. June 5, 2014
This is listed in the 'camping trip' article. But it says you need a mixer?? Does the batter hold?
Kt4 June 6, 2014
Good question! I was wondering the same.
belindajk March 16, 2014
Do you suppose this could be altered to make waffles? How so?
Kt4 June 6, 2014
I assume so. I'd just pour it into a hot waffe iron instead of onto a griddle. Perhaps chop the fruit or caramelize it in a separate pan and use as a topping.
Jan K. January 29, 2014
White whole wheat flour?
Flour is either 'white' or 'whole wheat'.
Christine January 30, 2014
White whole wheat flour definitely exists I use it all the time, it's made from a softer wheat and has a finer texture
Danielle February 23, 2014
This flour is "white" only in that it is made from a species of wheat that is called "white wheat" rather than the "red wheat" that is used in "ordinary" whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour will be a bit harder to come by, being the flour made of the entire white wheat grains, but a good health or speciality food store should stock it. In lieu, I used ordinary wheat flour with extraordinary results.
Z January 14, 2014
Try this. Two-ingredient pancakes:
2 eggs
1 banana

That's it. Stir up the eggs and mash up the banana all together, then cook and serve just like regular pancakes. Top it with berries if you want to stay away from sugary syrups.
Greg October 22, 2013
Awesome, just read the recipe to my daughter at UGA. can't wait to make it with her over Thanksgiving!
David September 29, 2013
Good recipe, except it has way too much salt, especially if you use salted butter. I put less than half the salt and they were still a bit salty. Cornmeal is a nice addition!
jungli_beleza December 3, 2014
anytime you see butter in a recipe, just assume that it means unsalted. if i only have salted butter, i adjust the recommended salt addition accordingly (meaning add less salt).
Alphild D. September 22, 2013
This recipe completely won over my whole grain-averse hubby. So good!
Sigita September 14, 2013
Oh my goodness - what a wonderful idea with the fruit filling one side of the pancake and caramelizing. Brilliant - can't wait to try this.