Simple Soaked Pancakes
ByI’ve really been enjoying experimenting with my new sourdough starter…and the older my starter gets, the better it does! Mmm!
But I keep falling back on my old stand by pancakes. They are SO good and SO good for you and SO easy.
I make them by soaking my flour in buttermilk overnight which breaks down the phytates and makes them more digestible, thus creating sourdough pancakes. Here’s the recipe:
Simple Soaked Pancakes
1 cup whole wheat flour (or whatever grain you want)
1 cup cultured buttermilk
1 egg
3 T. melted butter (or oil)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt
Stir the flour and buttermilk together in a glass bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave on the counter overnight. In the morning, stir in the egg, melted butter, baking soda and salt. Whisk together, adding extra milk or buttermilk for the desired batter thickness you prefer.
Cook pancakes on a well buttered, hot skillet or griddle, flipping once bubbles begin to form. Serve with real maple syrup, applesauce, jelly, or any of your favorite pancake toppings!
I triple this recipe for our family of six. These pancakes also freeze well. Frozen pancakes reheat great in the toaster!
And…add blueberries or chocolate chips for a yummy variety!
My kids devour these pancakes…and they are hearty enough to keep them full all morning long.
Move over IHOP!!
Thanks for the recipe!! I’ve been trying to find info for a whole wheat sourdough starter, with no luck. Would you happen to have a link with directions?
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Love the recipe…. BUT… the name is a little misleading, IMHO. I was expecting to use some of my sourdough starter if you’re calling it sourdough pancakes. Not trying to upset you… but maybe call them soaked batter or something like that. Nourishing Traditions has a similar recipe as does the Urban Homemaker…fwiw…
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Would I be able to use soured milk instead of buttermilk for this recipe? It looks delicious! Thank you.
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If we use store bought buttermilk, can we still leave on out on counter all night or do we need to let it soak in fridge? or Does it even matter?
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These look good! I am linking to them in a post tonight, trying to give my readers all the help they can get for a hot breakfast.
Toni
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Those look GOOD! I’m wondering the same thing as Cassandra… if you can just use store bought buttermilk.
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Yes, you can use store bought cultured buttermilk. You can use sour milk also, as Sarena asked, and you would still get yummy pancakes…and the phytates in the grain would still be broken down as long as you used lemon juice to sour your milk.
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I’m new to the whole foods and was wondering does the flour have to be a certain kind to work? I have whole wheat flour but don’t know if it requires a certain kid to work. Thanks for your help. I’m just loving your blog.
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Those sound so good. And how neat that you could make them and freeze them.
Roberta Anne
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Yum! I am going to make these for tomorrow! :)
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These look yummy! I have some flour and buttermilk soaking on my counter right now! I’ve never tried anything with soaked grains before so I’m a little antsy about it. LOL It seems like it would go bad overnight to me or something. I’m looking forward to trying them tomorrow morning. :)
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Ok I’m now a believer. The pancakes are WONDERFUL! All my boys loved them. :)
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I second Michelle’s comment! I am a believer now, too!! Even my husband loved them! This is defiantely something I will do again. My first time soaking flour was a success! Thank you!
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Yum! WE love sourdough pancakes although I haven’t made any in a while. I’ve been making hot breakfasts all this month, so I’ll have to give this a try.
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These look so easy!!!
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My flour is soaking! I’ve been meaning to make these since you posted them then at my grocery store today they had some buttermilk that was about to expire and was marked 10 cents! That was all the convincing I needed to try out your recipe! Can’t wait to taste them.
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Thanks so much! I make much smaller batches, but I find it is a great way to use some of the sourdough starter I would normally throw away. I use whatever flour or flour mixture I have on hand. Today was spelt – they are GOOD
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These were so tasty, but I soaked them in the fridge because I don’t think I can use my buttermilk. I get it from my raw milk dairy, but they make sweet cream (not cultured) butter. Can I still use it for soaking? If not, can I get a starter culture and culture my buttermilk instead of using the culture in whole milk? Or is there something else I can do to break down the phytates? I like buying the buttermilk for cooking because it’s cheaper than raw milk, but I’m trying to switch to soaking methods and don’t know how to make it work. Any advice would be much appreciated.
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Laura Reply:
October 15th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
If the buttermilk is not cultured, you can still use it to soak your pancakes and the recipe will work, but it will not break down the phytates. You can add a little lemon juice instead if you like.
I explain how I make buttermilk here:
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/making-cultured-buttermilk-kefir-and-sour-cream
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Anna Knight Reply:
November 1st, 2010 at 7:49 pm
I use yougurt sometimes if I don’t have buttermilk, or the time to make buttermilk,, and it works just the same as buttermilk to break down the phytates if the yogurt you use is cultured.
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We have a dairy allergy in the family and I was wondering if you can soak with just water and lemon juice or soy milk and lemon juice? How much lemon juice is needed?
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Laura Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Yes, you can use water and lemon juice. Just a 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice should be fine!
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What is the difference between cultured buttermilk and regular buttermilk? Would it work if I used milk and organic yogurt? There is no where to buy raw milk out here, because of strict laws, it’s actually illegal for the farmer to sell milk straight to consumers.
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Laura Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Usually, buttermilk is cultured. I don’t think that dried buttermilk mixed with water is though. Yes, you can use milk and organic yogurt.
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We have made these a couple of times now. We like them thinner and with blueberries.
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I just made this recipe x6! Half are in the freezer between waxed paper, the rest are in the fridge for breakfasts for this week. My siblings were snacking on them while I was making them. They are yummy:-) Thanks for another delicious and HEALTHY recipe!
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Jami Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Did you soak yours overnight? Were yours doughy? I don’t know if
I did something wrong. I have a whole wheat recipe that I already
make that we love but I wanted to try Laura’s. Cause everything so
far has been fab!!! So that is why I wondered if I did something wrong.
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Laura Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
You’re not the only one who has had trouble. So sorry. I’m not sure why mine turn out and others have had issues. Maybe come to my house to eat some of ours? And then we can sit and chat too? ;)_
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Jami Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 7:52 am
I would love that! Hee Hee! Maybe yours turn out because you
are Laura! :)
Help! I made these on our pancake morning!!! Kids love pancake day but didn’t like these. The flavor was great but I must have done something wrong??? They didnt cook in the middle. Outside looked beautiful golden brown and when you cut into them they were doughy. So I I tried less heat and longer cooking. Never cooked up. What on earth did I do. They weren’t fluffy. Just heavy and doughy. I was really bumbed……made extra to freeze but ended up dumping them. Did just like the recipe said. Any ideas??? or maybe that is how this pancake is??? I have made lots of your recipes Laura! Love them but I failed on this one!
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Laura Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
You aren’t the only one. :( All I can suggest is maybe adding some milk to the batter to thin it out some, then maybe they would cook through and through. Maybe I should work on a tutorial?
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Laura Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you were the one who commented above, so I wanted to be sure “both commenters” got their questions answered. “Both commenters” were you. Duh. I need to go to bed and leave the other questions for a time my brain is working.
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Jami Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 7:53 am
Hope that you rested well! Thank you for commenting at all!
You have a lot of people who love and comment and ask questions!
It is very nice of you to take the time to do it! Thanks!
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Amanda Reply:
March 20th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Jami, do you have a grain mill? I tried this recipe before I got my grain mill, and they did not turn out. They were doughy inside and did not taste very good. I tried it again after getting my grain mill (and after trying other recipes that worked wonderfully using regular store-bought ww flour but not fresh ground flour). They turned out AMAZING with my fresh ground flour! Soo yummy! I think the problem might be the flour you are using. My favourite pancake recipe for regular old flour is this one http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/breakfastbrunch/pancakeswaffles/buttermilk-pancakes-2/. It works great with regular whole wheat flour :)
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I did not soak mine over night. But I would suggest if the batter seems doughy then just had more milk until it is a good consistancy. I used part buttermilk and part regular milk.
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I just finished making this and had to comment. They are absolutely amazing. I am making the transition into eating more whole grains, eating healthier, etc. Me and my kids are white bread types; but for real, these were amazingly delicious. I never knew whole wheat flour could taste so fluffy and delicious.
Thank youso much for sharing this!
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I have made these so many times and always have the issue with them not being cooked in the middle. So what I started doing is making them the day before we want them. Actually I only like to cook in quantity so I make 4 times this recipe. Then we have them for breakfast for several days or you could freeze them When I reheat them by putting them in the toaster there is no issue with the centers not being cooked even though the day before there was. Just a suggestion for those who really want these to work for their families but can’t get the center cooked.
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Wow, I just recently discovered your blog and your recipes. These pancakes were amazing! Even though there is no sugar in the batter, the pancakes themselves have a sweet taste to them that is delicious even without maple syrup. I did find that the overnight “soak” was more like a “paste” of flour and buttermilk and I did have to thin mine out quite a bit in the morning before I cooked them.
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I have made these numerous times for my family and they love them. My three-year-old calls them ‘soap pancakes’ and regularly asks for them. :) I have always added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk in the morning with the rest of the ingredients, because I like mine a bit thinner. Thank you, Laura, for all your healthy recipes!!!!!!! :) Happy Easter!!
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If I make my own version of buttermilk–1 c. whole milk with 1 T vinegar (it’s quick and easy) will it still work as cultured buttermilk? Also I usually soak for just 1 hour-how long does it usually take to break down the phytates (?)
Thanks and I’m LOVING your blog. VERY helpful and many thanks from our family for helping us transition to better eating!
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Laura Reply:
April 13th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Well, it’s the cultures in the buttermilk that break down the phytates, so it seems that the cultured buttermilk is important for this step. It is recommened to soak the flour for 12-24 hours for it to be completely effective, but sometimes I’m short on time with soaking and can only give it three or four. SOMETHING is better than nothing, right!?
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AnnaK Reply:
April 13th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Thank you kindly for replying. Guess I’m gonna have to get brave and
weird :) and try the cultured buttermilk out!
Something is better, you’re right. Thanks for the blog. It’s a great help.
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Can you use kefir?
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Laura Reply:
May 6th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Yes, no problem!
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We recently learned that our four year old is allergic to yeast and eggs. I’ve started experimenting with our regular baking but wonder if You, Laura, or your readers could recommend some nice ways in which to eliminate eggs from pancakes, muffins, cookies. Thank you!
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Laura Reply:
May 6th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
I’m sorry I have no idea about how to bake without eggs…HOPEFULLY one of my readers will have ideas! Yikes, that’s a tough one. Hope you all can make these adjustments smoothly at your house. :)
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Kelli Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 6:08 am
I have used one heaping tbs of soy flour and one tbs water, to substitute for one large egg. I’ve used it in cakes and baked oatmeal and works like a charm
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Kimberly Reply:
August 7th, 2010 at 6:35 am
I’ve used 1 tablespoon water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch in recipes for one large egg. It does change the taste just a bit, but isn’t bad. Those are tough allergies. Thankfully my son outgrew them. I hope your little one does, too.
Randi Millward Reply:
August 22nd, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Replace 1 egg with 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp. water. It’s very simple! My oldest was allergic to eggs. I made so many egg-free dishes, I even ended up writing an egg’free cookbook! You can find boxes of ground flaxseed in the baking section of practically any store, with the flour, even at Walmart.
Pam Reply:
May 10th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Kika, my husband is also allergic to yeast & eggs as well as quite a few other foods. I have great baking success when I replace the eggs in a recipe with Ener-G Egg Replacer. I buy it at my local health food store.
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Randi Millward Reply:
August 22nd, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Replace 1 egg with 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp. water. It’s very simple! My oldest was allergic to eggs. I made so many egg-free dishes, I even ended up writing an egg’free cookbook!
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Thank you Pam. Does your husband eat sourdough with his yeast allergies?
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Mine didn’t cook up either :( I’m wondering if anyone else who had issues ever made another batch to see if they worked the second time.. I REALLY want these to work for us since we eat a LOT of pancakes
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Why does it have to soak in a glass bowl? Curious…
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Laura Reply:
June 10th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
If you put it into a metal or plastic bowl, there are chemicals of each that are released into the dough, making it yucky! The glass is much safer.
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On the topic of why the pancakes might be ‘doughy’…. my daughter has been working around my eggwhite allergy for a few years now, and has found that the Betty Crocker recipe, with freshly milled flour and simply skipping the egg, did fine with soured milk (buttermilk substitute made with vinegar), but not regular milk. They were doughy with the regular milk. I’m not sure if this would address what the ladies here ran into at all, but that is when we had ‘doughy’ pancakes here. We are soaking tonight to make these in the morning, so we’ll know more of this specific recipe soon.
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Okay, I will admit, I am a total scaredy-cat when it comes to leaving this stuff out!!!! I really come from a processed food diet background, but I have tried a lot of your awesome dishes, and am really wanting to try this too. I have been toying with it for over a month, and am soaking some Whole Wheat Flour now. When did we become such chickens about working with milk products?
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What if you don’t have cultured buttermilk? is there an alternative to using it? I really think I should soak things like this. :)
thanks!
-Ra’chel
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Laura Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
You can use regular milk with some lemon juice. The lemon juice will break down the phytates in the grain just like cultured buttermilk would!
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I made these this morning. They were easy to make
and looked yummy, unfortunately we didn’t like the taste. I think it is
the buttermilk taste that we don’t like, it seems really strong and I don’t normally use it, so maybe that is the problem for us. Can I soak it in regular milk?
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Laura Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Aw, bummer that you didn’t like them. They do have a bit of a sour taste, don’t they? You can soak them in regular milk, but without the cultures from the buttermilk, you won’t have the nutritional benefit.
Sometimes if I don’t have time, I just make this recipe without soaking them…they taste much less sour this way. You might try that?
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I made my first batch of sourdough (soaked overnight NT style) pancakes and they came out so thin, and rubbery!!! I wonder why….normally my old fashioned pancakes come out so thick and fluffy and we love them, but I wanted the health benefits of soaking. Any ideas?
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Laura Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Hmm, I don’t know. Mine are usually big and fat. It could be that you needed a tad more flour and not as much buttermilk? Each batch may turn out differently depending on the moisture/humidity in the air that day.
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Mine turned out doughy too, after several attepmts to fix the problem. So, if anyone comes up with a soluation please let me know:)
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Mine turned out so salty they were inedible. The buttermilk is already very salty and adding that 1/2 teaspoon was just way too much (I use sweet butter, too). The texture was fine – I used whole wheat flour with a little milk added. Seems like the flavor would be fine if you could taste it through the salt.
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Hint for those with large families – the butter does not need to be increased when you double, triple, etc this recipe. I makes it too oily. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times now, and it’s been much better since I stopped tripling or doubling the butter. I make a triple recipe usually, quadrupling when one of my older kids comes home. I started using coconut oil instead of butter, and it is *wonderful*! Also, I never buy buttermilk, just add 1 T vinegar to 1 C skim milk.
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Hi, Laura!
I am still learning about soaking flours overnight & was
hoping that by using raw milk with 1 TB of vinegar (to make
buttermilk) if I’d get the same nutritional results, as long
as I soak it, overnight? Also, does the concentrated
lemon juice work as well as fresh lemon juice for this benefit
in breaking down the phylic acids & making it more nutritional? Also, when soaking beans overnight, what amount
of water & what acid is best to use…..as well as the acid
amount? This is all sooooo new to me so thanks for getting
back with me when you have the chance as I’m excited to have
found your website!! You’re a blessing!!!
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Laura Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Yes, you can just use raw milk and vinegar or lemon juice for soaking and achieve the same result. For soaking beans, I just cover my beans with water and splash in a couple of Tablespoons of vinegar.
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Hello again, Laura! ;o)
Just wanted to say THANKS for being willing to comment on
my questions as I’m getting ready to make my first batch
of pancakes (your way!) I was wondering if the lemon juice
mentioned above can be the concentrated form or does it have
to be the “real thing” from lemons? Hmmmmmm
Also, are the phytates broken down simply by adding the
white vinegar (1 TB) to the raw milk & left overnight? This
makes “real buttermilk” right? I don’t have a culture, so
was hoping this was good enough. I have made keifer before
& wondered if I could just use that instead of the buttermilk?
Thanks for your patience & for your website! So far, I’ve
tried making your white alfredo sauce (was a huge hit here)
as well as your homemade pudding!! Wow, we’ll never go
back to storebought now! I’m hoping to purchase some of
your E-books when we get a little extra money. Thanks
again!!! You’ve been a wealth of info. & a blessing from
our Lord!!!!!! ;o)
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Laura Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Oh, it can be from a bottle or a real lemon or from one of those little squirty thingys. It all works!
As far as breaking down phytates, the buttermilk that will do this job needs to be cultured. I’m not sure that the raw milk/vinegar treatment creates cultured buttermilk…or does it? Hmm, I really don’t know. I think if you don’t have cultured buttermilk (http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/making-cultured-buttermilk-kefir-and-sour-cream) you may want to do the lemon juice method for soaking. You can do this with water and lemon juice, or milk and lemon juice, either one.
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Just made these for my 10-month-old son to have for breakfast. I followed your recipe as written except I thinned the batter out with 1/2-3/4 c. whole milk to yield a thinner pancake. I made little pancakes (3-4in in diameter)and my son gobbled a whole one up by himself! I’m planning to freeze the rest for future breakfast/lunches. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll have to make some this weekend for my husband and I to enjoy!
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Hi, Laura~~~~~it’s me again! I’ve tried your soaked pancake
recipe for a 3rd time & am STILL having problems with it
being “doughy” in the middle~~~~~~~~~~ahhhhhh
The outsides are a beautiful golden brown, but the insides
are a different story as they’re not getting cooked through!
I’ve tried adding milk/adding flour etc. & have even tried
different stovetop temps (the dials), but to no avail. ;o(
I’m using a cast iron skillet & usually this works great for
pancakes, so I’m really stumpted! What temp do you cook
yours on (on the dials?) Any other suggestions? I’d
greatly appreciate any input as I really want these to “work”
as we eat lots of pancakes~~~~~~~~~~~~thanks a bunch!!
P.S. I’m soaking my whole wheat flour in kefir (one for one)
& that seems to work, great; however, would I still get
the benefits of breaking down the phytates if I only use
1/2 cup. kefir & 1/2 cup of regualr milk? My younger son
doesn’t like the “sour” taste that the kefir alone produces.
Hmmmmmmmm I never knew perfecting pancakes could be so
challenging!!! ;o0
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Kim Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 4:58 pm
I made these and had the same issue with uncooked middles.
Then I tried again but added 1/2 tsp. of baking soda and it worked
great!
I also used melted coconut oil in the batter and greased the pan
with the coconut oil and they cooked up more fluffy than with
butter in the pan!
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Hello, again, Laura! ;o)
I’m still working at “perfecting” the pancakes and
they’re getting better & better!! I’ve been using kefir
(instead of buttermilk) to break down the phytates, but
was wondering if water & lemon juice would do the same?
I was hoping so as to save on our kefir. I’m just wanting
to make sure that those phytates get taken care of, but
am still learning much about all of this. Thanks for
your patience!! BTW, your menu for the week looks
impressive~~~~~~~wanna come make it all at our house? ‘o)
Thanks again for all of your helpfulness & input!
Amy
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Me again! I wanted to clarify my question above a bit as
I know you’ve already talked about soaking with lemon juice
as another method in breaking down phytates. I guess my
confusion & question should rather be, since the water &
lemon juice method aren’t “cultured”, how can it still do
“the job” in breaking down phytates as you mentioned earlier
that you weren’t sure if just plain milk & white vinegar
would “do the job” since it’s not cultured? hmmmmmm
I guess I’m wondering if it’s the actual “culturing” that
makes the difference in phytates while soaking, or if it’s
the acids (vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk, kiefer) etc.
The latter 2 are “cultured”, but would vinegar and lemon
juice work just as well to accomplish the benefits of
soaking? I hope this all makes sense. I’m really not
trying to hound you with questions or take up all of your
time, rather trying to get this all figured out, myself, so that I can do it on regular basis with confidence!!
Thanks again 4 your patience!! ;o)
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Laura Reply:
January 25th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Sorry – I’m probably not reading your questions thoroughly enough as my brain usually gets a little bit boggled when I’m working through my emails and questions. :)
You’re right…it is just the acid that does the breaking down, which is why lemon juice works. Therefore, maybe vinegar works to for this???
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These are so good! I’m glad I made a double batch this morning :). Our favorite thing is to make blueberry pancakes and top with lemon yogurt (add a few drops lemon essential oil to homemade yogurt along with some honey/sweetener). WOW is that ever good! Blueberry lemon has to be one of my favorite combinations now… :) Thanks Laura!
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I have been making these pancakes for a few weeks now every couple of days and loving them. The first few days I was extremely gassy but thought it was due to the red beans we had been eating. My children, however, continue off and on to complain of stomach aches, which is rare for them. I’m wondering if there is an adjustment period to the digestive system for some people. Sometimes I soak my flour for 24 hours and I use kefir. Have you heard of any digestive issues? My pancakes are amazing in flavor and texture. I find that I need to cook them slowly for a longer time than normal pancakes to get them done in the middle. Laura
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Laura Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Oh, that’s interesting. Since you’re soaking them, that should not be a problem. Huh. Do your kids normall have trouble with whole grains?
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