Category Archives: cooking

I’ve been making Katie from Kitchen Stewardship’s Soaked 100% Whole Grain Pancakes for over a year now, and they are some of the best pancakes we’ve ever eaten.  The cakes are moist and filling, and one batch makes enough pancakes for our family of four for at least two breakfasts.  I often freeze extras and reheat them in the toaster oven as needed.

Last Friday night I put my batter to soak for pancakes on Saturday.  When morning rolled around and I told the boys I was planning pancakes, my youngest said he really wanted waffles.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I tried out the pancake batter in the waffle iron.  Success!  Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, these waffles were wonderful with organic butter and local maple syrup.  I mixed up some cherry-berry sauce, too, with Door county cherries, homegrown raspberries, some non-GMO cornstarch and a shot of liquid vanilla stevia.  No recipe for that just yet, as I didn’t measure anything.

Here’s the recipe (please visit Kitchen Stewardship to see how Katie makes these up as pancakes for camping):

The Best Pancakes Waffles Ever

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour* ($0.75)
1 c. buttermilk or milk or yogurt** ($0.10)
1 c. water
¼ c. apple cider vinegar ($0.05)
¼ cup melted coconut oil (can add this in the morning if you’d rather melt your coconut oil in the pan you cook your pancakes in) ($0.30)

Combine ingredients and leave on the counter, covered, to soak 12-24 hours.

Just before cooking, add:
4 lightly beaten eggs  ($0.40-1.00)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

I placed about one cup of batter in my waffle iron, closed, flipped and cooked for about 3 1/2 minutes.

*Katie says:  This recipe works with all regular whole wheat, is much better with half whole wheat/half pastry flour, and is best with all pastry flour.  Pastry flour is more expensive, so I like to go 1/2 and 1/2 most of the time.  Laurie says:  I use freshly ground soft white wheat flour most of the time and it gives these a great texture.

**Because you’re adding vinegar to the milk, it’s a “fake” buttermilk of sorts and hasn’t had a problem sitting on my counter overnight.  Raw milk would be safest for this though if you choose to use milk.  You can also use the dairy choice in place of the water for even richer pancakes.  I have tried all three options, and I think the milk is the best one, but I often use homemade yogurt.

Makes about 6 1/2 waffles using 1 cup batter each.
Cost: $1.60-2.20, depending on your eggs

My family liked these better than the standard white flour waffle recipe that came with the waffle iron.  We also thought they were better than the soaked flour waffle recipe from Nourishing Traditions.  (I had problems with those burning on the outside while being doughy on the inside.)  I bought my Presto FlipSide Belgian Waffle Maker about a year and half ago, upgrading from a small rectangular iron I used to have, and I’m glad to have made the investment.  If you’ve even ordered Belgian waffles at a restaurant, you know they charge an arm and a leg for them.  It paid for itself in a couple of breakfasts (plus, of course, I know what’s in my waffles).  My waffles cook much more uniformly, and any spills are much easier to clean up.  Yes, it has a non-stick surface, but I don’t rub anything against the surface and it stays at a uniform temperature, so the coating is much less likely to come off than in a frying pan.  The iron has a timer, which helps avoid burnt waffles.  Waffles are still a bit of a treat, but they are so much easier to make with the right equipment (and the BEST WAFFLE RECIPE EVER .