Whole Grains Reconsidered: Swedish Pancakes with Whole Wheat Flour

Today’s mission: take one of my favorite breakfast recipes and incorporate whole grain flour. I’ve realized that I've been throwing the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to whole grains. Let me explain.

Remember when it was all the rage to go get a bagel with your friends? I can remember going to Einstein's Bagels when they were popping up on every corner, thanks to the latest fad of a heavy carb diet promising the much coveted smaller waistlines. A few years later, fads changed and there was a complete war against carbohydrates, and bagel hangouts were traded in for smoothie shops. Suddenly it was believed that carbohydrates were the enemy and the reason for a host of ailments, including a non-so-small waistline. So what is the verdict? Will carbs pack on the pounds or won’t they? The misinformation comes in defining what KIND and HOW MUCH of carbs we are eating. Let’s consider flour, for example.
If you were to look in your cupboard right now (and you happen to have the packaging for your flour) you would read one of two things: enriched flour (bleached or unbleached) or whole grain flour. The first is the bathwater. The second is the baby! By way of review, enriched flour has had the whole grain removed from it—the whole grain that has the fiber, nutrients, and other dietary friendlies in it. Whole grain flour is just that—flour comprised of the whole grain, nothing removed. It explains why I want to eat several pieces of white bread made with enriched flour and only one of whole wheat, and no, it isn’t the taste. The problem I have with is that I never feel “satisfied” when eating white bread. And I shouldn’t wonder why! The fiber and nutrients have been removed and instead paired with refined, process sugar.

In contrast, whole wheat/grain bread does leave us feeling satisfied because when we deliver the proper nutrition to our bodies, we fill our body’s nutritional buckets, and we are full for longer periods of time with less quantities of food. Why is a loaf of your mom or grandma’s whole wheat bread so heavy? Because the wheat is heavier than the chaff, people, and that’s what I feel like I’m eating if I eat enriched flour—chaff!

The verdict is that TOO MUCH of anything will pack on the pounds, some faster than others, such as foods that are low in nutrients and fiber and in the case of pancakes, enriched flour. As you gradually incorporate whole grains into your diet, you will most likely SHED a couple pounds since you are eating less, as well as noticing other changes such as level blood sugar through the day, less hunger pangs, and uh hum, other things that come with increased fiber in your diet! (Did I mention the colon health benefits from a diet rich in fiber…?) If you are suddenly motivated to go get some whole wheat flour (you can get it from white or red wheat; white whole wheat flour doesn’t mean it’s been bleached, but ground from white wheat)—DO IT—just gradually. Otherwise you and your family could have some aching bellies. It takes a little while for our systems to get us to whole grain if they aren’t use to it. I recommend starting with ¼ cup at a time and working up to 100% whole wheat flour.

This recipe probably goes more on the comfort food side of the spectrum instead of completely healthy and nutritious, but the goal here is to move the needle one recipe at a time. This recipe came from my Swedish heritage—my grandfather is 100% Swedish, so it’s funny that this recipe is aptly named just that: Swedish pancakes.Whole Wheat Swedish Pancakes

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour*
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
3 cups milk
3 Tbs. butter, melted, plus a tablespoon to coat the pan.
*Note: If you are just starting out with whole wheat flour, start out with ½ half cup flour and 1 cup regular flour. You could even start with ¼ cup.)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high or low for 30 seconds. It should be a soupy consistency, and you will notice that the cold milk has hardened the butter into hard little bits—this is okay. In fact, my brother insists that these little butter chunkies are the secret to great Swedish pancakes.
Heat a good non-stick or cast iron skillet on medium. Coat pan with butter—seriously, don’t use oil. It ruins the flavor of the pancake, or rather leaves it blah.
Pour ½ cup of batter into the hot pan and swirl the batter immediately by picking up the pan and getting the batter to coat the entire bottom of the pan and a little of the sides.
When the pancake edges start to pull away from the edge of the pan, gently flip the pancake—you can help this process by running a knife or spatula around the edges. Cook only a minute longer and serve with warm maple syrup, berry compote, or pancake topping of your choice.