|
By Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ With no room for fluffy breakfasts in my meal plan, pancakes and waffles rarely emerge from my kitchen. But, Bob's Red Mill has taken some initiative for those of us who like a little power in their first meal of the day, combining the indulgence of pancakes with hearty whole grains. And we are not talking about a Nabisco version of “whole wheat,” with a single whole grain flour falling three steps behind on the ingredient list, dwarfed by enriched white flour and sugar. Bob wouldn’t make such a paltry claim. He only stamps his whole grain label on a truly whole grain product, and organic nonetheless. Yep, these mixes are hearty through and through, not a single white processed ingredient made the cut … 7-Grain Mix  It was as if Bob was thinking of me when they created this pancake mix. Just 1 gram of sugar per serving, and how did he know that my favorite homemade bread is 7-grain? I was finally ready to kick-start my day with pancakes! While I was confident that I would love the flavor, I certainly didn’t expect these pancakes to turn out so unbelievably perfect. They were beautiful, tall pillows of whole grain goodness. I am not kidding; all I could do to possibly mess these up was to burn them, which of course I managed to do with one batch. But no matter, they were still delicious.
These pancakes had a definite whole-wheat taste, accompanied by a very, very mild sweetness. Pastry lovers will want to reach for a generous douse of maple syrup, as my husband did. However, I loved the versatility to use these as a sweet or savory breakfast treat. Opting for a touch of indulgence (it was Sunday after all) I mixed a dash of maple syrup with some cashew butter for a lightly sweet cream to spread atop each pancake. Upon first bite, I did notice that these weren’t quite as fluffy in texture as their distant white flour cousins, but consequently they didn’t instantly turn to mush as the maple syrup soaked in. They were a bit more confident and assertive than your ordinary flimsy pancakes. Pleased with the pancakes, I decided to whip up some waffles the next morning … and they too came out picture perfect. They were a bit lighter in texture than the pancakes, calling for two eggs rather than one, and I had a bit of trouble getting them to brown. I persisted for a few minutes past the green light, but they wanted to remain soft to touch with only a lightly crisp exterior for some reason. Since I like my waffles with that crispy edge, I preferred these as toaster waffles (perfect for freezing!). But they really were quite tasty still, just a bit more bread-like than I was anticipating.  Ingredients: Organic Multigrain Flour Blend (Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, Organic Whole Grain Rye Flour, Organic Whole Grain Spelt Flour, Organic Whole Grain Corn Flour, Organic Whole Grain Oat Flour, Organic Whole Grain Kamut®Flour,Organic Whole Grain Flaxseed Meal, Organic Whole Grain Quinoa Flour, Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour), Organic Vital Wheat Gluten,Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Baking Powder (Monocalcium Phosphate, Bicarbonate of Soda, Cornstarch), Sea Salt High Fiber Mix  Next up was the High Fiber mix. Not the most appealing name, evoking images of Metamucil, but I was still excited by the whole grain factor. The resultant pancakes were an interesting mix of totally fluffy and a fiber rich taste. I wouldn’t recommend that the whole grain phobic jump into this one right away, but if you already have a taste for whole wheat and oat-based foods (as I do), then this might be the perfect breakfast treat you are seeking.
I added 1/3 cup frozen wild blueberries to the mix, and my husband gobbled them up. He loved them! While this mix seems to be similar in general content to the 7-Grain, I tasted a very (very) light sweetness in the 7-Grain, but the High Fiber mix was not sweet at all. Of course, who needs added sugar when you are topping them with syrup? Plus, this is an excellent mix for making savory waffle sandwiches. I like this feature, since I prefer not to tempt my taste buds with sweetness too early in the morning. While I liked both mixes, and would be pleased as punch if restaurants started serving pancakes like these, my heart and palate belong to the 7-Grain mix. But, whichever your preference, I think these mixes are far and above any pancake & waffle mix I have seen on the market in both quality and taste. Ingredients: Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, Organic Scottish Oatmeal, Organic Vital Wheat Gluten, Organic Wheat Bran, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Sugar, Organic Flaxseed Meal, Baking Powder (Monocalcium Phosphate, Bicarbonate of Soda, Cornstarch) Sea Salt, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Wheat Germ. Vegan Note: The mix itself is vegan, but the preparation calls for eggs and they didn’t suggest a vegan option on these. However, I would imagine that a substitute with mashed banana, applesauce, or possibly a “flax egg” or two would work. Varieties: Bob's Red Mill makes several other pancake and waffle mixes also - Gluten-Free, Whole Grain Buckwheat, and Whole Grain Organic Cornmeal. Where to Purchase: Bob's Red Mill products can be found in stores across the country, can be purchased directly from Bob's Online Store, and tons of their products (including these two) are available on Amazon for a discount.
 Quote this article on your site
Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved |
Product Reviews 
Subscribe to our
