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Fresh Milled Pancakes

Fresh milled pancakes are delicious and loaded with beneficial vitamins. This recipe is simple and takes just a few minutes to whip up. You will have a hot breakfast on the table in no time and the fresh milled whole grains offer a great protein boost to start your day.

detail shot of the most delicious freshly milled pancakes

What Is The Secret To Really Good Fresh Milled Pancakes?

Don’t over-mix the batter: You want to make sure you stir your dry and wet ingredients just until they are incorporated. That means you want to mix until you see the flour streaks have disappeared, but it’s totally okay to see a few lumps! A slightly lumpy pancake batter is actually a good thing. This step is crucial for fluffy pancakes.

Watch your heat: Pancakes require an ideal temperature and a little bit of patience to yield the perfect pancake. The thicker the batter, the slightly lower the heat (medium/medium high). Thinner pancakes need more heat (medium high heat). Since this pancake mix is for fluffy and thick pancakes, you’re going to want to keep your skillet at medium heat, or 375°F.

Look for bubbles on the edges and surface: This is a key cue that your pancake is ready to flip. Once you see bubbles forming on the surface, it means that the heat from the pan has transferred to the middle, pushing all of the air bubbles we want to the surface. Once the bubbles pop and release, you’re ready to flip!

Wet ingredients first,  then dry: Whether you are making cookies, scones, muffins, cake, or pancakes, the golden rule is that dry ingredients need to be combined together thoroughly in one bowl BEFORE the wet ingredients are added in. This is also to make sure we don’t over-mix after in an attempt to mix wet and dry evenly.

Let the batter rest: This rest time in-between the bowl and the skillet allows the starch molecules in the flour to absorb the liquid (such as kefir, acidified milk, or buttermilk) in the pancake batter. This improves the texture and overall quality, making the pancakes lighter and fluffier.

Why Is The First Pancake No Good?

This is not a fast and hard rule. The first pancake is referenced as a trial run, allowing you to work out the kinks with the temperature, size, etc. Sometimes that first pancake absorbs just enough of the fat on the cooking surface so that your second pancake cooks more evenly. This is, of course, where the old advice of “throwing out the first pancake” comes from. It’s an old homily, regional to the Midwest, that just means your first try is never going to be perfect, so don’t get upset if you have to toss it in the trash! If you wanna get it right on your first try, avoiding a doughy or burnt pancake, keep your skillet at medium to high heat, or 375°F.

Ingredients for Delicious Pancakes With Freshly Milled Flour

1 3/4 cups finely ground fresh milled flour, soft white wheat flour works well, also einkorn and khorasan.
1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk**(or make your own with milk + an acid like 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons of melted butter

Makes 12 pancakes

Add dry ingredients to a medium bowl and mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 increments, mixing well between each addition. Once the batter is mixed well and there are no clumps it’s time to let the batter rest.

Resting the batter for 10-15 minutes will allow the flour to fully absorb the liquid and give you softer and fluffier pancakes.

Preheat cast iron skillet or skillet of choice over medium-low heat. Add cooking oil of choice(I like coconut oil or avocado oil) and cook pancakes until golden and cooked through.

Top with your favorite toppings like fruits, nuts and maple syrup or honey!

**this will make a thicker batter, if you like your batter/pancakes thinner, use 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk

freshly milled buttermilk pancakes with bananas

What’s The Best Way To Freeze Pancakes?

Thankfully, these are the best pancakes for make-ahead breakfast food because they taste just as great reheated. I have frozen every type of pancake and never had any trouble with the texture of ones I’ve frozen and reheated. Pancakes made from all-purpose flour to whole grains, they all freeze beautifully.

First you want to allow your pancakes to completely cool before preparing them for the freezer.

Make sure the pancakes you’re preparing for the freezer don’t have any butter, pure maple syrup, jams, or other condiments on them. No topical liquids, but fresh fruit in the batter is fine. Feel free to freeze buttermilk, buckwheat flour, blueberry, chocolate chips, or any other delicious infused pancakes—they should all freeze and reheat with the same results as they were fresh off the skillet.

Place your pancakes on a sheet pan so that they’re close together but not touching. Pop the sheet pan in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until frozen. Then you can place them in a zippered bag, as many as you can fit and put it back in the freezer.

Or, if you cannot fit a whole sheet pan in your freezer, you can place each pancake in between parchment paper or wax paper slices. This prevents them from sticking to each other as they are freezing. Place them in a zippered bag and place the bag in the freezer. The pancakes will keep for 1-2 months.

How Do I Reheat Frozen Pancakes?

In the microwave: This is the easiest way to reheat frozen pancakes to retain that soft, fluffy pancakes you first made. Place 2 pancakes on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on 100% (high power) for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Or until thoroughly warm, turning once half-way through.

In the toaster: Not the best method, but gets the job done. Place frozen pancakes in a toaster and heat on the lowest settings. Depending on your toaster, you might need more than one toasting cycle to heat through. If your preference is to heat on a higher settings, make sure you keep an eye on the pancakes to make sure your toaster is not crisping your pancakes.

In the oven: This is a good method that is suitable for a large number of pancakes. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. There are two tried and true methods for this, you can either place your desired amount of pancakes in the oven encased in aluminum foil, or place your pancakes on a sheet pan and lightly cover with foil. Aluminum foil is a crucial part, otherwise the oven will dry out your pancakes. Bake for about 10 minutes or until soft and warm.

Why Is Buttermilk Good For Pancakes?

Buttermilk pancakes are meant to be slightly tangy in taste and have a thicker, fluffier texture, adding more richness than pancakes made with regular milk.

What Is Fresh Milled Flour?

Most simply, freshly milled flour is a grain that has recently been milled into flour using a grain mill. The time to be considered freshly milled is up to your own discretion, but I only mill my own wheat flour as needed for the recipe because the longer the flour sits, the more nutrients it loses. Milling is the process of turning grain berries into flour. The most commonly milled grains include hard white wheat berries, soft white wheat berries and ancient grains. Just about any grain you may think of can be run through a mill to make whole grain flours.

Ground Fresh Milled Flour vs White Flour: What’s The Difference?

The best way to look at the differences is to compare their taste, cost, and nutrition.

TASTE: By using the freshest flour, the result yields a creamier texture, more body, and a fully complex flavor profile. And in this recipe, delicious pancakes! Because you are using whole grains, the bran and germ add a bit of a sweet taste. Not only
do whole grain pancakes taste good, they have an amazing aroma as well.

COST: When compared ounce to ounce, home milled flours tend to be cheaper, sometimes at a fraction of the cost, than their store-bought counterparts. With the extra cost of nutrients lost in the milling process, using a mill to make your own fresh flour is an easy and cost effective choice.

NUTRITION: Freshly milled flours are packed with nutrients compared to store-bought white flour. Using the whole grain allows you to reap the full benefits of its name. Bran, responsible for fiber, B vitamins, iron, and digestive enzymes. Endosperm, responsible for its complex carbs, protein, and small amounts of B vitamins and minerals. And finally the germ, which contains essential fatty acids, vitamin E, B vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and phytonutrients.

Choosing A Flour Mill

I get asked a lot which grain mill I recommend and there are two front runners for me. Both are made by NutriMill and both are amazing machines with a lot of power, the ability to grind from coarse to very fine and both have manufacturers warranties. You can’t go wrong with either one of these mills and both are available on my website –

NutriMill Classic Grain Mill

NutriMill Harvest Grain Mill

Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancake Recipe

One of my favorite tricks for getting fluffy whole wheat pancakes is resting the batter. By allowing the whole wheat pancake batter to rest for 10-15 minutes after it is all mixed, the flour is able to fully absorb the liquid and voila – fluffier fresh milled whole wheat pancakes!

Another trick is making sure that you don’t over-mix the whole wheat pancake batter.

Can I Use an Electric Griddle For These Pancakes?

Yes! Electric griddles are especially perfect when making pancakes for a large group.

375°F is the suggested temperature for pancakes made on an electric griddle. But if you want to do a test sample, a great way to do this is to drop a tabelspoon of pancake batter on the griddle. Adjust the temperature accordingly. If your pancakes come out tough, this means the griddle is not hot enough.

You always need a little bit of grease for cooking pancakes to prevent the pancakes from sticking to your large skillet or electric griddle. Don’t just glug oil (or drop butter) into the skillet. Remember, the fat needs to be evenly distributed.The best way to do this is with a little bit of oil, my favorites are avocado and coconut oil. Other options include cooking spray or melted butter.

the most delicious fresh milled pancakes

Why You Should Start Replacing Canola Oil With Avocado or Coconut Oil

Canola oil is a common oil found in pancake recipes, and it’s omitted here for a reason. Canola oil in the United States tends to be highly processed, which means fewer nutrients overall. Much like ap flour, we want to limit these nutritionally devoid ingredients to give our whole grain recipes their best benefits.

One reason I love avocado oil is because it has a mild flavor that is not overpowering and tastes nothing like avocados! This makes it a perfect oil to use in pancake recipes because it will not overshadow that perfect buttermilk taste. It is not chemically processed, unlike canola oil, and offers higher amounts of healthy fats too. In addition to its health benefits, it also has a higher smoking point of 500°F.

Coconut oil is thought to raise HDL cholesterol levels, which doctors like to call GOOD cholesterol. Coconut oil is thought to have similar properties as medium-chain triglycerides, which are medium-chain fatty acids that are healthy because the body digests and absorbs them more quickly, making a better energy source than long-chain triglycerides.

Although your overall diet is what’s most important for your health, you can’t go wrong prioritizing fats, such as avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and sesame oil, and limiting less healthy cooking oils, such as soybean, corn, and canola oil.

Ways To Serve Pancakes

There are so many ways to eat pancakes!

For a filling and high protein topping, you can top each pancake with a scoop of Greek yogurt and mixed berries (fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries!) for a filling and protein-packed breakfast.

Or how about jam? Strawberry? blueberry? Pair some fresh fruit with your own 3 ingredient easy whipped cream, whipped up in just 4 minutes! Or try this healthy and simple recipe that magically whips Greek yogurt and stevia into a healthier whipped cream. You can find that recipe here.

Looking for something indulgent? How about ice cream and fruit? It’s a thing! The combination of warm pancakes topped with vanilla ice cream and pure maple syrup is a surprising but delicious combo. Top with fresh pomegranate seeds for a beautiful and bejewelled dessert!

Chocolate sauce! More specifically, this homemade and healthy 4 ingredient hazelnut sauce. Made with real hazelnuts, cacao powder, pure maple syrup, and a little water. Top it off with caramelized bananas, bananas that have been pan seared in brown sugar and cinnamon, and drizzled in golden brown maple syrup.

Have you ever tried chopped pecans and sliced bananas? It give the pancakes such a great flavor!

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