Kodiak Cake's Whole Grain Pancakes

Anyone who reads this blog knows I love breakfast. Eggs, pancakes and waffles, to be exact. But one thing I don't love about pancakes and waffles is that they're not exactly super healthy. I mean, my favorite Gourmet Magazine recipe is unbelievable but if I made it everyday I'd be as big as a house. And while I love the taste of a buttery, syrup-laden pancake, I don't want to physically resemble one.

That said, I've been searching for a good whole wheat/grain pancake recipe but one thing or another happened and I kept putting it off. I didn't have the right flour, I didn't know the right ratio of ingredients, and bottom line, I was just afraid that it would taste like cardboard. No one wants a pancake or waffle that looks and tastes like UPS packaging.

Kodiak Cakes Frontier Flapjacks

Enter Kodiak Cakes Frontier Flapjack and Waffle Mix. I received an email from Kodiak Cakes – a Utah-based company specializing in whole grain pancake, waffle and dessert mixes – with an offer to send out a sample of their whole wheat, oat and honey pancake mix. Hoping it would fill the whole grain pancake hole in my life (and meal repertoire), I was happy to accept although admittedly skeptical of the result. I've rarely met a whole grain pancake that I loved, except at Maxwell's breakfast joint in Mar Vista. Once upon a time, Maxwell's base recipe had whole grains and granola in it; throw in a few blueberries or banana slices and I'm in heaven...

But I digress. Friday morning I whipped up a batch of Kodiak Cakes Frontier Flapjack and Waffle Mix, testing out the results on Bryan. After a quick look at the ingredients and nutrition label I was honestly shocked. The Frontier mix is made from 100% whole grain wheat flour, 100% whole grain oat flour, non-fat dry milk, dry honey (honey wheat starch), leavening, egg whites and salt. That's it. And it's truly good for you, with only one gram of fat, 130 calories, four grams of fiber and seven grams of protein for two four-inch pancakes.

Impressed but still skeptical by the just "add water" instructions, I turned on the burner and started making the batter. Usually by the time I'm done making the batter a pan is ready to go, but this batter took less than one minute to make. You could see the whole grain in the batter immediately and the consistency was nearly identical to, if not a wee bit thinner than,"regular" pancake batter. (Note: Since Bryan and I were the only ones eating I made 2/3 of the 1-cup recipe recommendation).

Just mix your desired amount of water...

...with the pancake mix.

Whisk until combined.

I ladled the pancake mix into the hot, making three four-inch pancakes. Unlike other pancake batters, the whole grain batter started to bubble almost immediately (perhaps from the absence of fat).

After about a a minute I flipped the pancakes, revealing a nice golden brown crust. Right away they started to puff up (my technical term) and after about another minute or two, they were done.

I made two more batches and divided the pancakes onto two plates, indulging in a small pat of butter along the way – hey, the pancakes are whole grain, I'm allowed – and slathered on grade-A maple syrup. The consensus? Bryan and I both really enjoyed them. We didn't miss the fat content or the richness of other white flour pancake recipes, as the whole grain added a heft that left us satisfied. The texture was smooth and light, the flavor was wheaty without being overpowering and the small pat of butter added a nice touch of salt and cold contrast to the hot pancakes. I've since made the pancakes on two additional mornings and we've enjoyed them just as much each time. My mother-in-law, who visited over the weekend and was on a healthy eating kick, gave them the thumbs up, too. Overall, a success! Now we'll just have to see how the batter translates into waffles...

Kodiak Cakes Frontier Flapjacks