Classic Pancakes

My kids love pancakes! They will eat just about any pancake I throw in front of them. I, on the other hand am a little more picky. I have this theory that a great pancake doesn't need syrup. I have also been convinced for quite some time that a great pancake recipe can use either refined flour or whole wheat flour. This recipe does just that. We have enjoyed it numerous ways, I prefer the whole wheat or at least a mix, but admittedly David still prefers the refined flour. He douses it in syrup anyway, so who cares what he thinks, right? ...Actually I do, so that's why I compromised and am sharing this recipe with half of each.

 This recipe yields about 24 medium pancakes. Click here for the printer friendly version.

 Melt 6 T butter and whisk together with 3 C milk and 2 eggs.

If you don't whisk the ingredients fast enough, you might get little clumps of butter that are solidified after touching the cold milk. This isn't a big deal.

 Whisk together 1 1/2 C each whole white wheat and all-purpose flours, 7 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp salt, and 2 T sugar.

 Whisk together the wet and dry mixes until incorporated and the batter begins to bubble (it won't take long). Allow batter to rest while you preheat your griddle.

 Grease the griddle and pour about 1/4 C batter onto the preheated griddle. Allow to set until edges are slightly firm and the centers have bubbles. (The above pancakes are all ready to flip.)

 Enjoy!
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How do you like to top your pancakes?

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

I love this time of year. The weather allows me to wear pretty much whatever I want, the changing of the leaves is gorgeous, and pumpkin rules the kitchen.

These are easy, delicious, and mostly nutritious, so I like to make these at least once a week for all of October and November.

For a printer friendly version, click here.

 Begin by whisking your dry ingredients together. (2C flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp soda, 1 T cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt)

 Mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl (1 & 1/3 C pumpkin, 3 T brown sugar, 2 C milk, 1 egg, and 2 T oil). A note on the milk: I've used several varieties of dairy and dairy free milks in this recipe and they all taste great.

 Fold wet and dry ingredients together and allow to rest while you preheat the skillet to 350 F, medium, or whatever setting works best for pancakes at your house.

 Place a scoop of batter on your skillet and allow to cook until edges are set and air bubbles appear on the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and allow to finish cooking another 2-3 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Variation: sprinkle some mini chocolate chips into the batter and top with some chocolate sauce  and whipped cream for a yummy desert.

When do you prefer to eat pumpkin pancakes?

100% Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Today is Zeke's first day of Kindergarten, so to get him off to a good start, I made these Whole Wheat Banana Muffins. These are a favorite around our house and a batch never lasts long. Usually I make these and we eat them fresh, but occasionally, I make them the night before so that the outside of the muffin gets a nice crisp crust. They also freeze well.

 My kids prefer them plain, but David prefers to add in a chopped walnuts, so I've added that as an optional ingredient in the printer friendly version.

 You'll need: salt, white wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, melted butter, over-ripe bananas, and an egg. A note on the butter: I don't normally say recipes require a certain brand, but I have noticed a superior flavor when I use Land-o-Lakes unsalted butter as opposed to store brand unsalted butter. The ingredient lists are the same, so I never thought about it, but there really is a difference.

Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place bananas in a medium-large mixing bowl. Mash with a fork. It should be super easy, if your bananas are overly ripe.

 Add the sugar, egg, and melted butter to the mashed bananas and stir together.

 Add dry mix to the wet mix and stir until incorporated (about 50 strokes).

 Add 1/4 C batter to each greased muffin tin cup. Use a spoon to evenly distribute any remaining batter. Bake for 23-25 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven.

Whole wheat muffins often come out a bit darker than ones made with all-purpose flour, so don't worry they're not necessarily burnt.
Enjoy!

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Do you like to add extra ingredients into your banana muffins?

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

 Today is Quinn's 4th birthday and her favorite dinner is pizza, so we're having this for dinner tonight. I love this crust, because it's so easy, tasty, and healthy.

1 1/2 C lukewarm (105-115 F) water
1 tsp sugar
1 T active dry yeast
1 T olive oil (I've used extra virgin olive oil and regular, and they've both turned out great)
4 C whole white wheat flour (the white is important, the red is heavier)
1 1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve sugar into water. Add yeast. Allow to sit approximately 5 minutes (until foamy).

 

 *Tip: When measuring your flour, use a spoon to add the flour to the measuring cup. Fill to overflowing.

Use the straight edge of a knife to wipe the excess flour off the top of the measuring cup.

Combine flour and salt together. If you have a stand mixer with a kneading attachment, use it (speed 2 for a kitchen aid).

 Stir oil into yeast mixture..

While the mixer is running, add the yeast mixture and allow to mix/knead until thoroughly combined.

It should look something like this.

Transfer dough to a large bowl coated with non-stick cooking spray. Cover with a piece of cling-wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and allow to rise in a warm draft free location for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Gently squeeze to deflate.

To use:
Lightly dust clean work surface with cornmeal. Tear off piece dough and roll out to desired size and thickness. Place on a pan to top and bake.
Bake on bottom rack of the oven at 450 F  for 7-10 minutes depending on your toppings.

For a thicker and/or crispier crust:
Pre-bake  the crust for about 5 minutes before topping. Depending on your pan, you may want to flip the crust over after baking and before topping.
Top as desired and bake an addition 5- 10 minutes depending on toppings.

Freeze it:
If you want to freeze your pizza, bake the crust by itself at 350 F for about 8 minutes. Allow crust to cool, top as desired, flash freeze, wrap up, and place back in freezer until ready to use (proceed with normal baking instructions).

To make breadsticks:
Divide dough into 16 equal portions and shape into sticks. Spread melted butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese over each stick. Allow to rise slightly while oven preheats to 450. Bake 6-10 minutes depending on thickness of breadsticks.
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What's your favorite pizza topping?