We are a family that has always baked from scratch. My husband has been making our bread for about 20 years, and we had heard that fresh ground grain improves the taste of baked goods, but we were skeptical…because our stuff already tasted pretty darn good!
Well, when I told my husband that I was getting a grain mill his eyes lit up. For months he kept asking me when is it coming, when is it coming. When it finally arrived he couldn’t wait to give it a try on our favorite pancake recipe.
Barely able to contain his joy at finally having a grain mill.
So we purchased and ground up some buckwheat and whole wheat. It was really interesting to see how the grain looks before it is ground. I was mesmerized watching the grinding process.
Grain going into grinder.
The verdict on the pancakes. SHOCKINGLY better. The flavor of both the whole wheat and the buckwheat were much more pronounced. Our kids couldn’t stop raving that these were the best pancakes I ever made.
I think I’m going to enjoy life with a grain mill.
- ½ cup of buckwheat flour
- ½ cup of whole wheat flour (We used: Soft White Spring Wheat)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 1 cup of buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted cooled
- Grind grains into flour.
- Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Separate the egg and mix the yolk with the butter. Then mix the yolk/butter mixture with the buttermilk.
- Whip the egg white until you have soft peaks.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Add ¼ of the whipped egg white to the batter and fold (not stir or mix) it into the mixture.
- Add remaining egg white to the batter and fold it in gently.
- Pre-heated skillet (nonstick or cast iron) on medium heat. Brush it with a vegetable oil or butter. Make sure it is fully heated before you ladle the pancakes on to the skillet.
- Watch for bubbles and peak under the pancake for browning before flipping them. Brown well on both sides.
Soft peak eggs.
Gently folding the egg white into the batter.
Watching for bubbles on the pancake and a nice golden color.
