These whole grain flying pancakes are a delicious way to improve your weekend–or spice up a weekday morning. 

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Why are They Called Flying Pancakes?

My family started calling them flying pancakes after my then 3-year-old niece referred to them as flying pancakes after she first had them. I guess that is what they looked like to her…

You see, when I cook pancakes, I start out by stacking them in neat piles. Once I have a couple of batches made I have everyone start eating. Well, this means that before I know it, the plate in the middle of the table is empty, hungry kids are calling out for more, and I am racing to keep up. So instead of neatly stacking the remaining pancakes, I bring the remaining batches of finished pancakes over directly in the silver dollar skillet. I hold it over the plate in the middle of the table and just tip it upside down. Most of them make it onto the plate. Some don’t. Flying pancakes!

This is it. The basic recipe for the pancakes I make again and again. (If you follow me on Instagram you have probably seen several pictures of pancakes. And that is me holding back so you don’t think all we eat is pancakes—we do eat a lot of them!)

Recipe Notes

Flour

It’s a wonderfully versatile recipe that can be adjusted to your liking. Play around with the grains—we often use spelt or oat flour for half of the wheat flour. When I say “wheat,” I am referring to white whole wheat flour; it’s one of those grains that you should keep on hand because you can use it in virtually any recipe that calls for flour. And while it’s a type of whole wheat flour, its taste and texture are more like white flour.

Kefir

I usually make this with plain kefir, but buttermilk or any other cultured milk will do as well. Using cultured milk helps to make these pancakes fluffy and gives them a distinct taste. It also makes them virtually lactose-free and therefore, easier to digest for many of us.

Need to make them dairy-free? Try adding a teaspoon of vinegar to non dairy milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes before using. Or look for a dairy-free cultured milk.

Eggs

Typically I make it with 3 eggs, but 2 or 4 eggs work well too. Adjust it to your family’s needs (upping the eggs in pancakes or waffles is one way to get some more of the egg’s nutrients, such as protein and lutein, into your family).

Fat

As for the fat, I mix it up. I usually add organic canola, grapeseed, or melted coconut oil to the batter. Then I grease the pancake skillet with butter.

Skillet

That brings me to the skillet. I almost always make these on my silver dollar pancake skillet. It’s meant for Swedish pancakes (we make a lot of those too), but it works really well for American pancakes too. It keeps them evenly sized and gives a cute presentation that is loved by kids and adults alike.

Sugar

I have tried to make this recipe without any sugar and it leaves something missing. Fortunately, all that is needed to bring out the full flavor of the pancakes is 1-2 tablespoons.

Happy Morning!

Make this recipe a few times and you will have it memorized. I keep all my dry pancake ingredients together so it’s easy to pull them out and start mixing them even if I’m not yet fully caffeinated! When I have leftover pancakes I throw them into a reusable freezer bag and take them out as needed for quick breakfasts for the kids.

Flying Pancakes (Whole Grain Pancakes)

These whole grain flying pancakes are a delicious way to start your day! Made with white whole wheat flour and kefir they are easy to make gluten-free by subbing in oat flour and gluten-free all purpose flour. These are sure to become a new family fav!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Equipment

• pancake pan (optional)

Ingredients

  

• 1 ½ cups white whole wheat (or spelt) flour or make it with half wheat and half oat flour
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ cups kefir (or buttermilk)
• 3 large eggs
• 1-2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
• butter for greasing skillet

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add kefir, eggs, and oil and stir until just combined.
• Heat pancake pan or griddle over medium heat. Grease with butter. Drop spoon-sized amounts of batter onto the pancake pan or griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Adjust heat setting as needed.

Notes

If you want to add fruit or chocolate chips to the batter, carefully add a few to each pancake after spooning it onto the griddle. This will ensure even distribution of the add-ins (and also allows you to make a half batch of blueberry pancakes, etc.).

Serving suggestions:
Pure maple syrup, fresh berries, cut fruit, applesauce, rhubarb compote, whipped cream, chopped nuts.
Stack them to make a pancake cake!

 

Keyword kid-favorite, Pancakes, whole-grain

NOTE: photos updated March 2017