100% Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes (Dairy-Free)

The everyday breakfast pancake unites with the beloved gingerbread cookie in the most delicious holiday breakfast! Step into a Christmas wonderland as you savor each bite of these whole wheat gingerbread pancakes!

One of the sweetest memories kids have at Christmastime is making gingerbread houses. Not only do you get to make something beautiful out of food, but you get to eat it, too!

Then there are those delectable gingerbread cookies–even better than the houses! (And we all know we eat the candy more than the gingerbread walls. Haha) My all-time favorite gingerbread cookies are the Little Debbie Christmas Gingerbread Cookies. They are perfect in every way–except not healthy in any way. Haha.

If you’re a gingerbread lover like me, then these whole wheat, gingerbread pancakes are my gift to you! (You should also try out my gingerbread frappuccino!) Have some nostalgic dessert for breakfast, my friends!

100% Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

Whole wheat flour: See note about whole wheat below.

Baking soda: This tends to get clumpy. You can put it in your hand first and use the fingers from your other hand to push it down and break up the little clumps before adding it into your recipe.

Salt: Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt (I use pink Himalayan salt) would be the healthiest options, as well as go well with this recipe. If you use regular table salt, you may have to use less salt in this recipe.

Ground ginger Aim for fresh, fragrant ginger powder.

Ground cinnamon

Ground cloves

Wet Ingredients

Coconut oil: Make sure this is melted and slightly cooled before you add it to your pancake mix,

Honey: This is an excellent substitute for molasses.

Apple cider vinegar: A unique ingredient that helps the baking soda do its job in lifting your pancakes!

Vanilla extract

Egg yolk: This part of the egg gives your pancakes a little structure, rich flavor, and moisture!

Water: See note on baking with whole wheat and how you might need a different amount of water for your recipe.

A Note on Baking with Whole Wheat

In today’s world we have become so accustomed to using all-purpose flour because of the easy peasy, beautiful, and tasty results we get when we bake with this household staple. Yet, what we often don’t stop to think about is what this man-made concoction actually is.

A whole wheat berry is made up of three parts: the bran, germ, and endosperm. Although all three parts have some type of nutrition, most of the berry’s nutrition is found in the smaller parts of the berry–the bran and germ. When both all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour are made, manufacturers strip the flour of its bran and germ. All-purpose flour is then never reunited with these nutrient dense parts of the wheat berry, while the bran and germ (many times a portion of the original amount) are added back into whole wheat flour.

Without the bran and germ, all-purpose flour now becomes a long-term, shelf-stable food that is fairly predictable in its baking performance. On the other hand, the bran and germ in whole wheat flour change the whole scheme of things, now impacting the amount of liquid that is absorbed while preparing baked goods, or quasi-baked goods like pancakes.

No two whole wheat flours are the same. A number of factors are now on the table, the first being the type of whole wheat flour used. There are many different varieties of wheat, such as hard, red wheat; soft, white wheat; einkorn, kamut, and the list goes on. All act differently when combined with other ingredients in a baked good.

Second, even the same wheat grain variety can be affected differently by the environment in which it is stored. Wheat berries/flour stored in a humid environment are going to be different than those stored in a drier environment.

Third, take the milling process into consideration. There are many different types of mills, wheat is ground at different settings, and different amounts of bran and germ may be added back into these flours.

Therefore, it is almost impossible to make a “recipe” that yields the same result in every kitchen. This is why I encourage you to be an observer in your own kitchen, adding the amount of liquid that works well with the whole wheat you have purchased and stored in your home environment.

Kitchen Supplies You May Need

• bowls
• skillet or griddle
• turner/flipping spatula
• scraping spatula
• measuring cups and spoons
• pot holder or towel

How to Make 100% Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes

First, combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. That would be your whole wheat flour, baking soda, sea salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves. You could use a whisk for this or simply your hand. Move your hand in a circular motion, pressing the ingredients in between your thumb and your other four fingers.

Second, combine all of the wet ingredients in a small bowl. That would be the coconut oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and water.

Next, heat a skillet or griddle over low heat.

While the skillet is heating up, add the wet ingredients to your dry ingredient bowl. As you are gently and very slowly stirring the two together, take note of the thickness of the pancake batter that is coming together. Let the flour absorb the liquid, and then slowly add more water until you have the consistency you want. Do not overmix. Using a scraping spatula would be ideal. You need at least enough water to absorb all of the flour, as well as make the batter “pourable.” A thicker batter will result in thicker, fluffier pancakes. A thinner batter will result in thinner, less fluffy pancakes. If you get the batter too runny, just add a little more flour. See note on whole wheat if you are wondering why there is not a set measurement for water.

Once your skillet or griddle is hot, add 2 or 3 teaspoons of coconut oil. Make sure it’s not too hot. If your oil is steaming, your skillet is most likely too hot.

Then, take your 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop out 1/2 cup of pancake batter, and pour it onto the hot skillet. If your batter is on the thicker side, use the measuring cup to make a circular motion on the batter to spread the pancake out.

When you see lots of bubbles, your pancake has puffed up, and the edges of the pancake look “dry”, then take a flipping spatula, place it under the whole pancake, and carefully flip the pancake over. You may break the pancake when attempting to flip it over if you don’t wait till it looks a little dry. If your pancake is really dark or black when you flip it over, that means your skillet is most likely too hot and you need to turn the heat down. If you are having trouble flipping the pancake over, use could try to use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to make smaller baby pancakes.

Wait a minute or two for the other side to cook. You can carefully put the spatula under the pancake and lift it a bit to see if it is nicely browned. If the bottom is golden brown (and the inside of the pancake is cooked through), you can remove your pancake from the skillet and place it on a plate.

To indulge in the full gingerbread experience, make sure to top this with maple syrup (preferably real maple syrup) or molasses if you have it. Also, if you allow the pancake to cool down for a couple of minutes, you’ll have a bit more flavor and a sturdier pancake.

Enjoy!

How to Separate an Egg

Separating an egg is really easy. Just crack an egg, hold the egg over a bowl, break the egg and let the egg fall into your hand. Then, slightly open your fingers and let the egg white fall between your fingers into the bowl, leaving only an egg yolk behind in your hand.

How to Wash Less Dishes with This Recipe

If you are the dishwasher in your house and you’d like to keep a few less dishes from stepping into your sink, then try using the same following dishes, over and over again, in a strategic manner.

Dirty Up These 8 Dishes

• a skillet
• a small bowl
• a medium bowl
• a flipping spatula
• a scraping spatula
• a 1/2 cup measuring cup
• a tablespoon
• a 1/2 teaspoon

How to Use These 8 Dishes

In a medium bowl:

• Two 1/2 cups for flour
• Two 1/2 teaspoons for baking soda
• Half of 1/2 teaspoon for salt
• Three 1/2 teaspoons for ground cinnamon
• Fingers for pinch of ground cloves

In a small bowl:

• Three tablespoons for coconut oil
• Five tablespoons for honey
• One tablespoon for apple cider vinegar
• One 1/2 teaspoon for vanilla extract
• One egg yolk beaten inside of 1/2 cup measuring cup with bottom of tablespoon

Use scraping spatula to mix the dry and wet ingredients together and to help you get the last bit of batter out of the bowl at the end.

Use 1/2 cup measuring cup to put batter in skillet.

Use flipping spatula to flip and remove the pancake.