Whole Grain Pancakes - Soaked Flour

Photo credit: Big Boo using Dad's Blackberry camera. He carefully placed the berries and posed the fork and knife. Must be the son of a food blogger and graphic designer.

A few months ago I started a kitchen goal of soaking grains, nuts and beans. I've soaked nuts a couple times. The dehydration step deters me from doing nuts more often. Can't get them dry without getting them too warm. The bean soaking is not going so well either. I haven't managed to soak them the night before cooking, so they end up off the menu entirely. Must remedy that soon. Surely unsoaked beans are better than no beans at all, eh?

One thing I was successful in creating a new habit was soaking steel cut oats for oatmeal. We have soaked oatmeal several times a week for breakfast. Another soaking recipe I like is this one from The Nourishing Gourmet for soaked flour whole grain pancakes. A few minutes of kitchen work the night before can shave cooking time off on a busy morning. Even weekend mornings are less harried with this pancake recipe, as half of the ingredients are measured and in a bowl ready to go when I stumble into the kitchen. Why don't school age kids sleep past dawn on weekends? Didn't they get the memo that weekends are for sleepin' in?

Soaking flour reduces phytates and increases mineral absorption in grains. I don't soak 100% of the time, but I'm gradually making my way to serving more soaked grains, nuts and legumes. Not sure why you might want to consider soaking? Here's some additional information, so you can decide if soaking is right for your family.

Kimi's recipe is dairy free. I was serving visitors and decided to use buttermilk as the liquid. They turned out really tasty. The first time I made them I used a combination of almond milk and the coconut water I'd saved from a fresh coconut. Those were also tasty.

Whole Grain Pancakes - Soaked Flour Recipe
ingredients - night before

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups buttermilk, regular milk, almond or rice milk.
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients, gently stir to combine, cover and place in oven overnight. (Oven should be off, OK if it's still a little warm from dinner)

ingredients - morning of

5 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of coconut oil (liquefied)

Add remaining ingredients to the soaked flour mixture to combine. If mixture is too thick add some water (I needed about 1/4 cup of water in the morning). Cook on hot griddle or pan until bubbles start to form on one side. (They won't be completely bubbly like non-soaked batters). Flip pancake and remove when second side is brown. Remove to a plate in a warm oven. Serve with maple syrup and fresh berries. Freeze left overs in a zip top bag, toasting to reheat. Half recipe if you don't want left-overs, this is a large batch.

Vinegar? In Pancakes?
Yes, that's vinegar on the ingredient list. Before you freak out, the vinegar isn't awful in this recipe. I too was skeptical, but they don't taste vinegary. The vinegar helps give them a nice rise. Try it before you judge! I added an extra egg to the batter to up the protein a little.

Do you soak?