When I updated the homepage and was thinking about what to highlight, I realized one resource I had that I never really highlighted as much as I could have, primarily because for me, it's second nature.
The change to unprocessed, whole foods has been slow and a rather large learning experience but I realized recently that the slow process has now been happening for years and there are some items that I forget are being sold in boxes. I have a whole list of pantry staples that I make at home.
I grew up on box mixes where all a person would need to do is just a few liquid ingredients and voila: food. Even when my family started to eat more whole grains, we still bought box mixes- I don't think we knew any better. Items yell at you from the shelf how heart healthy they or are that they can lower cholesterol or that they have added vitamins and minerals to help you feel healthier.
And yet, once I moved away from all the process foods and started making things from scratch, I felt healthier even if I was drinking whole milk, eating pancakes with butter (organic) and maple syrup (pure, grade a).
So, I'm starting work on a series of "basics" for the whole foods kitchen. Things that we buy at the store but really have no need to because they are so easily made from home.
Pancakes are such a great place to start. My guess that at any given time, most people would have the ingredients they need to whip up a batch of pancakes in their house.
Plus, this recipe makes for a great base to build on. I'll often sub out half the whole wheat flour and add ground nut meals or ground oats. Toss in fruit to the batter or leave it for the topping. The pancake options are abundant!
This recipe is for one person but it's easily doubled (or any multiple you want!) I'll even use this same batter to make waffles (even though most recipes call for adding more oil and less milk- I've never had any troubles with using the same recipe).
So go out and whip of a batch of pancakes! What's your favorite pancake combination?
Pancakes (for one)
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: breakfast
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda*
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon walnut oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup milk
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Give a good stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, maple syrup, oil, and milk. Stir in to pancake batter, just until combined. Add more milk if needed to thin batter.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. When skillet is hot (if you flick water onto the skillet, it should sizzle), take about ¼ cup of batter and pour onto skillet. Let cook for 1-2 minutes (until the pancakes begins to bubble slightly. Flip and let cook for another 1-2 minutes until pancake is cooked through.
- Serve with your favorite toppings: fruit, butter, jam, peanut butter, maple syrup to name a few.
Notes
*Baking Soda is optional- if you want tall, fluffy pancakes- omit baking soda and add just a touch more baking powder.
Here's a few inspirations to get you started:
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Mary says
Cooking for one, definitely an art. Right up there with grocery shopping for one...
elalderson says
I always over buy...
Mary says
haha it's so hard!
Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Totally into this pancake recipe for one!
Sunshine and Smile says
Love pancakes for weekend breakfast. Never tried with whole wheat though. And yes, I so agree with you on making food .. good food, from scratch, always keeps one healthy!
VogueVegetarian says
As usual, bravo on the 100% whole wheat flour. I always get excited to see recipes labeled 'whole wheat' just to get disappointed when I find half is whole wheat and the other half is white flour. I grind my own flour with my kitchenaid attachment so I use the Soft White Winter Wheat to get the whole wheat pastry flour. Love your recipes!
elalderson says
Me too! I also grind my own flour- I love how fine I can grind the wheat berries!
B Fash says
I agree. So hard to find good whole wheat recipes. Thanks!!!
Dani says
I want to make this soon. I'm excited to see your recipes for things that can be easily made at home. I find that any additional time it takes to make (which usually isn't that much) is completely worth the fact that it tastes so much better.
Laura says
I've been reading (and pinning) from your blog for months and I have to tell you I adore it. Ps, pancakes for one is splendid.
Keisha says
What can I substitute for the walnut oil? I have a nut and coconut allergy.
erin says
Melted butter or any other type of flavorless oil!
Diana Palmieri says
could I use apple sauce instead of oil?
Erin Alderson says
I've never really tried so I can't say for sure that it would work.
Loretta E says
I can't believe how many pancake recipes you have! Dangerous stuff, for sure.
I like mine best with a homemade berry sauce and whipping cream!
Corene says
I've been wrestling with morning sickness (it's really ALL DAY sickness) for the past two weeks and when a desire for pancakes (?!!) hit this recipe was a lifesaver! It was fast and easy despite me feeling weak and pathetic. The whole stack turned out beautifully! I slathered them in butter, Greek yogurt, syrup and berries. Every calorie I get in is a victory! Thanks for pulling together such a great recipe!
Beth Callon says
I made this recipe last week using nut milk and coconut oil, and the pancakes were delicious.
Lisa Woodard Hanson says
My daughter and I gobbled these up for dinner! delish! I didn't have nut oil, so I just used extra virgin olive oil and it worked great.
Myaa MiDen Yeakey says
These were delicious! I had to use all purpose flour because I ran out of wheat, but very good!
Sonia says
these were delicious!! thank you they're going to be a staple now for when I'm craving pancakes!
elalderson says
Yes! It's totally a go-to recipe for me and I'm glad it will be for you as well!
Robin says
If you're reading this, PLEASE make these pancakes! I usually have oatmeal every morning but it's a lazy Sunday and I woke up in a pancake mood and stumbled onto your blog. I seriously cannot stress how INCREDIBLE these pancakes were. I am vegan so I replaced the egg with half a mashed banana which honestly worked so so well. Highly recommend. I also used half a tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil instead of walnut and omitted the maple since I had the sweetness of the banana. I used both the baking soda and baking powder and approx. 1/2 c almond milk. This recipe made 5 gorgeous, fluffy, crispy on the outside-moist and banana-y on the inside, mouthwatering pancakes, topped with just 1.5 tsp maple (no butter needed!). Next time I think I'll even throw in a few shakes of cinnamon. Sorry for the novel but I had to express my love for this recipe! I loved that it is whole wheat and didn't leave me feeling heavy or like my teeth were coated in sugar. Can't wait to make them again!
elalderson says
Whoo! This just made my day. Love the sub with the banana- I'll have to try that next time!
Marlies says
I adore these pancakes!! I used spelt flour bc I'm out of whole wheat pastry, and a flax egg instead of a real one, and it worked very well! The pancakes were sooo fluffy, which I often have a hard time getting. 🙂 and because it's spring I topped them with balsamic roasted strawberries and rhubarb. Soooo good!! Thanks a million for the recipe!!! 🙂
Moni says
An excellent recipe - my pancakes for one turned out perfectly! I topped the pancakes with maple syrup, raspberries and a touch of cream. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Mayelin says
Just made this recipe and absolutely loved it!! Unfortunately, I didn't have whole wheat pastry flour on hand, so I substituted with 1/4 cup each of whole wheat and white all-purpose flour. Wonder if I could've just used the whole wheat all-purpose? Anyways, I also added walnuts and a mashed up banana for the most delicious banana walnut treat!! Will definitely be using this wholesome recipe again and again! Thank you for posting it!
★★★★★
Atheer says
this turned out amazing. I used canola oil and quinoa milk but had to increase the milk since the mix was a bit thick.
Thank you so much.
Jess Hughes says
I don't usually comment on recipes but I have to with this one. It was so yummy and easy! Thank you for doing a recipe for one person! I substituted a small, mashed banana for the egg and had to use plain flour. It made 5 lovely medium-sized pancakes for me. I topped mine with a blueberry compote, maple syrup and a little bit of butter. I woke up this morning feeling pretty ordinary, but this was just the remedy! Thank you! ?