multigrain pancakes

copy-of-img_9455

This is one of those recipes that’s unabashedly multigrained. The multigrains aren’t sneaking in, trying to pretend this is a regular pancake recipe that just happens to be a little healthier. No, these pancakes are multigrain all the way.

copy-of-img_5792

They’re also, possibly, my favorite pancakes ever. I’m finding that I really enjoy recipes that have whole grain as the primary flavor.

copy-of-img_9452

The ingredient list is a little long for pancakes, and the food processor has to be used to grind up the muesli. I won’t lie that I think that’s a hassle, so what I’ve started doing is grinding the whole box of muesli at once (minus the small portion that’s added to the pancakes unground). That makes the effort involved with making these similar to a regular pancake recipe.

copy-of-img_5804

I don’t always serve these with the apple topping; they’re just as good with maple syrup. But it’s November and apples and cranberries and nuts just seem appropriate. Not only does the topping make these pancakes even more delicious and special than they already are, but it adds a nice serving of fruit to an already fiber-rich breakfast. You can’t beat that.

copy-of-img_5815

Multigrain Pancakes (from Cooks Illustrated November 2006)

Serves 4 to 6.

CI note: Familia-brand no-sugar-added muesli is the best choice for this recipe. If you can’t find Familia, look for Alpen or any no-sugar-added muesli. (If you can’t find muesli without sugar, muesli with sugar added will work; reduce the brown sugar in the recipe to 1 tablespoon.) Mix the batter first and then heat the pan. Letting the batter sit while the pan heats will give the dry ingredients time to absorb the wet ingredients, otherwise the batter will be runny. Unless you have a pastry brush with heatproof bristles, a paper towel is the best means of coating the pan surface with oil. Pancakes will hold for 20 minutes when placed on a greased rack set on a baking sheet in a 200-degree oven. Serve with maple syrup or Apple, Cranberry, and Pecan Topping.

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups whole milk
1¼ cups no-sugar-added muesli (6 ounces), plus an additional 3 tablespoons
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3¾ ounces)
½ cup whole wheat flour (2¾ ounces)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil

1. Whisk lemon juice and milk together in medium bowl or 4-cup measuring cup; set aside to thicken while preparing other ingredients.

2. Process 1¼ cups muesli in food processor until finely ground, 2 to 2½ minutes; transfer to large bowl. Add remaining 3 tablespoons unground muesli, flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk to combine.

3. Whisk eggs, melted butter, and vanilla into milk until combined. Make well in center of dry ingredients in bowl; pour in milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (few streaks of flour and lumps should remain). Do not overmix. Allow batter to sit while pan heats.

4. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon oil and brush to coat skillet bottom evenly. Following instructions below, add 1 tablespoon batter to gauge temperature of pan. Pour ¼ cup batter onto 3 spots in skillet, using bottom of ladle to spread batter smooth if necessary. Cook pancakes until small bubbles begin to appear evenly over surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on second side, 1½ to 2 minutes longer. Serve immediately. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing surface of pan lightly with oil between batches and adjusting heat if necessary.
Apple, Cranberry, and Pecan Topping for Pancakes (from Cooks Illustrated November 2006)

Serves 4 to 6.

CI note: The test kitchen prefers semifirm apples such as Fuji, Gala, or Braeburn for this topping. Avoid very tart types like Granny Smith and soft varieties like McIntosh.

3½ tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3 sweet apples (medium), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 4 cups) (see note above)
Pinch table salt
1 cup apple cider
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¾ cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

Melt 1½ tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in cider and cranberries; cook until liquid has almost evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and cook until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and remaining butter; whisk until sauce is smooth. Serve with toasted nuts.

copy-of-copy-of-img_9461

Comments

  1. These look fabulous! Pancakes are my favorite breakfast food, and I love that topping. This looks like the perfect way to enjoy pancakes!

  2. Or better yet, the ACP topping with some extra maple syrup 😉

  3. Mmmm. Different idea for pancakes. Love new breakfast ideas!

  4. YUMMMMM these look healthy and yet so, so sinful at the same time!! My brain is going to explode with the deliciousness. Happy Thanksgiving!

  5. How did I not see this!?! This is total food porn for me because I LLOOOOOOVE pancakes and fruit. Mmmmmmmm….

  6. These look amazing. And your pictures are so good! I really need to practice with my camera.

  7. Donna says:

    I found this recipe in Cook’s Illustrated and made these for my family’s Christmas breakfast and they were absolutely fabulous! The only pancake to make! I love your idea of grinding the entire box for future pancakes. Does pre-grinding it change the amount of muesli you measure for the next batch? Isn’t it 1 and 1/4 cups unground, then you grind it? How much is it after it is ground?

  8. Donna – That’s a good point. I always measure by weight, so I don’t know how grinding the muesli changes the volume. Maybe next time you make a batch, grind the 1.25 (unground) cups, then measure that and make a note in your recipe about what volume it was.

  9. Donna says:

    I measured 1.25 cups and then ground it in my food processor for 2.5 minutes. It was nice and fine. And then I measured it again. It was less than one cup, so I tried my 3/4 measuring cup. It was less than that. I think 2/3 cup is closest to the amount. It had to be within a teaspoon or so.

    Again, thanks for the idea of pre-grinding it all. I’m doing my other 3 boxes now, but will save a little zip lock baggie of unground, so I have my 3 Tablespoons of unground cereal.

  10. bridget says:

    Donna – Thanks for the helpful information!

  11. Dorothy says:

    Amazing recipe- just made them this morning! I have a nut allergy and so instead of using muesli, I just substituted rolled oats. I also do not have a food processor, so I ground up the rolled oats in my coffee grinder. I let the batter sit for about 5min and it became wonderfully fluffy. The pancakes were so light lovely. I served them with maple syrup and tart cherry jam. Going to make waffles next!