Pancake Batter

One of the most versatile and successful recipes from Nourishing Traditions is the pancakes. Freshly ground flour (spelt, emmer or soft winter wheat) soaked overnight with equal parts of yogurt or kefir serves as the base for delicious, light tasting and highly digestible pancakes.

Pancake BatterEvery few weeks I make a double recipe of pancake batter — not that I am making huge batches of pancakes but because the batter is useful for a variety of recipes, or just to have on hand for pancakes another day. The batter will keep well in the fridge for several weeks—I store it in wide-mouth, quart-size mason jars.  Don’t be put off by a layer of dark batter that sometimes forms at the top—just stir it back in.

BASIC PANCAKE RECIPE
Makes about 2 quarts

2 cups wheat berries—use spelt, emmer or soft winter wheat
1 quart yogurt or kefir
4 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt

In the evening, grind the berries into flour—2 cups of berries makes 4 cups flour.  (If you don’t have a home grain grinder, use sprouted wheat flour.)  Mix thoroughly with yogurt or kefir to make a very thick batter.  Cover the container and leave on the kitchen counter overnight.

In the morning, beat 4 eggs. Beat in the soaked flour and remaining ingredients. For pancakes, measure about 1/3 cup per person into a bowl and thin with a little water.  Transfer the remaining batter to wide-mouth, quart-size mason jars and store in the fridge.

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To make pancakes, brush a heated griddle or cast iron pan with melted butter.  Spoon on the batter and cook a few minutes on each side until the pancakes are browned and cooked through.  Serve with melted butter and warmed maple syrup along with a side of natural bacon or sausage.

CRISPY PANCAKES
Makes about 18

1 cup pancake batter
water

Thin the pancake batter with a little water so that it is the consistency of cream. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter per pancake—the pancakes should be about 1 ½ inches in diameter.  After cooking on both sides, transfer to a stainless steel cookie sheet.

Dehydrate the pancakes in a dehydrator or for 8-10 hours in a warm oven.  They must be completely dry and crisp.  These make great crackers and will keep a long time at room temperature in airtight containers.

Caviar Canapes

CAVIAR CANAPES
Makes about 12

2 ounces caviar
12 crispy pancakes
1 small onion, diced very fine
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped very fine
1/2 cup sour cream or crème fraiche

On each crispy pancake place 2 teaspoons sour crème or crème fraiche, 1 teaspoon caviar, ½ teaspoon chopped onion and a pinch of parsley.  Keep very cold until just before serving.

Batter-Fried Fish

BATTER FRIED FISH
Serves about 4

About 1 ½ pounds fresh fish fillets, skin on, cut into pieces
1 cup pancake batter
water
about 1 cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
lard for frying
lemon wedges

Make a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper.  Dry the fish pieces with paper towels and dredge in the flour mixture.  Thin the pancake batter with a little water to the consistency of cream.  Shake the flour from the fish pieces and dip in the batter until well covered.

Fry the batter-coated fish fillets in lard in a cast-iron skillet, a few at a time, about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through.  Transfer to paper towels, and then to a platter.  Keep warm while finishing the other fillets.

Serve on heated plates with lemon wedges.

PECAN COOKIES
Makes 24-30 cookies

2 cups pancake batter
¾ cup maple sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon white pepper
About ½ cup crispy pecans, chopped

Use a beater to add the maple sugar, vanilla and seasonings to the pancake batter. Stir in the chopped  crispy pecans. (For Crispy Pecans recipe, see Nourishing Traditions.)  Cook as pancakes in a greased cast iron skillet, several minutes per side.  Transfer to a stainless steel cookie sheet.

Dehydrate the cookies in a warm oven for 8-10 hours or until completely dry and crisp.  Store in an airtight container.

Author: Sally Fallon Morell

Sally Fallon Morell is best known as the author of Nourishing Traditions®: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. This well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods contains a startling message: animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels.

20 thoughts on “Pancake Batter”

  1. Tis is great, never thought of storing pancake batter in the fridge. What do you think of grinding berries in a Vitamix? Would the generated heat kill some of the nutrients?

  2. Will this give me migraine headaches? Whenever I accidentally consume something with wheat I get a migraine that lasts a week. I’m just curious to hear your thoughts about this, I guess.

  3. I have a question regarding the flour…. why not use sprouted einkorn? All other flours have been hybridized. Einkorn is the true traditional wheat. And you can get it in berries. I’m surprised it’s not being represented more.

  4. I realize this recipe is for pancakes. However, I am wondering if you have any good tips for making a cast iron waffle maker work? I have tried your waffle recipe in NT, but unfortunately I cannot have dairy at this time. I tried replacing the dairy with water/ACV and it didn’t work well. We have tried a number of recipes in the cast iron waffle maker and they mostly fail. The waffles don’t cook all the way or they stick to the cast iron. We have tried seasoning it a couple times, but nothing seems to work.

  5. The person who complained about migraines might be sensitive to gluten. She might want to try gluten free flours. I buy sprouted rice and garbanzo flours online.

  6. Sally, the instructions for mixing the batter after adding the soaked flour to the beaten eggs says “the remaining ingredients”, but doesn’t specify which of the ingredients. The list has melted butter, maple syrup, baking soda and sea salt. Are all of those supposed to go into the batter? Or are the melted butter and maple syrup only for AFTER the pancakes are cooked? I am just confused since they are listed before the baking soda and salt. Thank you!!

    1. My pancake recipe calls for a little sweetener (I usually use coconut sugar or Xylitol) and melted butter in the batter so that fits with this recipe.. and then more butter & maple syrup on the pancakes 🙂 However, I am also interested to know about the maple syrup in this case if the same batch of batter is also suggested for use with battering fish (which would be very handy) many thanks.

  7. Sally, do you have any recommendations on a good quality grinder for grinding the berries? Including recipes along with the pancake batter is a great post! Thank you dearly!

  8. Hello. What do you recommend using to beat the flour mixture into the eggs? Wooden spoon, whisk etc? Will this make the pancakes tough? Many thanks.

  9. I’m new to this, trying to reform my eating from premixed boxed foods. I’m a little confused about how it’s safe to leave yogurt out on the counter all night. Sorry if this is a silly question.

  10. Does the soaking liquid of choice (kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, etc.) have to be raw or is it okay to get a pasteurized organic one from the store and have it sitting out for that overnight time?

  11. Can I use sourdough starter in place of soaking the flour overnight for all the Nourishing Traditions recipes? Including this one?

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