Source: King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking
Yield: 10 cups dry mix; a batch using 1 cup of mix will make about 10 (3 1/2-inch) pancakes.
Whole Grain Pancake Mix
3 1/2 old-fashioned rolled oats
5 cups white whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil
To make the mix: Grind the oats in a food processor until they're finely chopped, but not a powder. Put the ground oats, flours and remaining dry ingredients into the bowl of a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. Store in an airtight container indefinitely in the freezer. (I keep it in a 1 gallon ice cream bucket in my pantry. I’ve had no problems with it staying fresh for about a month—it's usually gone by then so I don’t know how much longer it would last.) To make the pancakes: Whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (or you may use 1/2 cup plain yogurt plus 1/2 cup milk), and 1 large egg. Let the batter stand for at least 15 minutes before cooking (it will thicken as it stands—let it stand for 30 if you have time and the pancakes will be fluffier). Heat a nonstick griddle if you have one, or a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. If your surface is not nonstick, brush it lightly with vegetable oil. When the surface of your pan is hot enough that a drop of water sputters across it, give the pan a quick swipe with a paper towel to remove excess oil and spoon the batter onto the hot surface, 1/4-cupful at a time. After 3 to 4 minutes, when the surface of the cake is no longer shiny and small bubbles are beginning to form around the edges, it's time to flip the cake. Cook other side until it's browned, 1 to 2 minutes more.
This recipe is a great base for adding your favorite ingredients—blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, apples, pecans or walnuts, etc. I like to sprinkle coconut on the batter after pouring it on the griddle. When the pancakes are flipped, the coconut gets lightly browned and crispy.
The pancakes in this picture were made immediately after the batter was mixed. The pancakes in the top picture of this post were cooked after the batter rested for about 25 minutes. They both tasted great, but I prefer the fluffier ones. However, in our family taste-test, many of my kids preferred the flatter ones. So, if you’re in a hurry, you could skip the rest time and your family would never know the difference.
