It‘s not mandatory to pour syrup on top-quality pancakes. A flavorful batter and sweet fruit are all you need. Photo by Lauri Patterson | IST.
STEPHANIE ZONIS focuses on good foods and the people who produce them.
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November 2009
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Whole Grain & Multigrain Pancake Reviews
Page 6b: Allens Hill Farm Pancake Mixes
You are reading part of a review of 99 whole wheat, whole grain and multigrain pancake mixes from 44 different manufacturers. From here you can go to the index of all of the pancake mix brands, go to Page 1 of the complete pancake article or continue to the next page of reviews.
Pancake Mix Reviews:
Allens Hill Farm Pancake Mixes
All mixes from this company are labeled “all natural.” The 8-Grain Buttermilk pancake mix was one of the nine “favorites” from all of the mixes tested. AllensHillFarm.com
- 8 Grain Apple Cinnamon Pancakes. Grain mix: 8 grain flour (unbleached unenriched wheat flour, oat flour, pumpernickel flour, corn flour, soy flour, rice flour, potato flour, malted barley flour), oat bran. The mix obviously has spice in it, and there’s a pleasant spice aroma. I used the optional oil (as opposed to an egg) and 2 tablespoons sugar. I had made the 8 Grain Blueberry Pancake Mix just prior to making this variety. Based on my experience with the Blueberry, I made some changes to the instructions: I rehydrated the apple chunks (which were enormous—don’t make miniature “silver dollar” pancakes with this batter for this reason) as directed. However, once that mixture had cooled to room temperature, I drained the chunks, reserving the liquid (I had slightly over 1-1/2 cups of liquid). I placed the mix, optional sugar and optional oil in a large bowl, then added about two-thirds of the reserved liquid, stirring with a whisk to blend. I eventually used all of the reserved liquid, then added the drained apple chunks, stirring with a spoon just to incorporate them. The package instructions, which called for adding the apples and all of their liquid to the mix/sugar/oil, probably would have resulted in large lumps of unblended mix (see the 8 Grain Blueberry Pancake Mix description below).
- The pancakes have a very good rise and excellent browning. The finished pancakes have a delicate spice presence and mild flavor, with lots of juicy apple chunks of an excellent texture (neither too firm nor too mushy). They are very good with maple syrup; this company also offers both an Apple Syrup and an Apple Cinnamon Syrup, which would probably go well with these pancakes.
- 8 Grain Blueberry Pancakes. Grain mix: 8 grain flour (unbleached unenriched wheat flour, oat flour, pumpernickel flour, corn flour, soy flour, rice flour, potato flour, malted barley flour), oat bran. I used an optional egg and 2 tablespoons of sugar. The recipe was longer and required more preparation than most. Instructions call for rehydrating dried blueberries (included in separate packet) in boiling water, waiting until mixture cools to room temperature, then adding sugar, egg and dry mix. When prepared according to package directions, the batter was too thin and had too many large lumps of undissolved mix. I had to whisk the batter briefly to get some lumps out, but it was still too thin and I had no more mix to add. The batter ran excessively on the griddle. I chilled the batter overnight in fridge. The next day, the batter had separated, as often occurs, but when stirred, it was still too thin to work with. There was not much rise, but good browning. The finished pancakes had a very mild flavor, with good bursts of color, flavor and texture from the blueberries. They were tasty with maple syrup.
- 8 Grain Buttermilk Pancakes. Grain mix: wheat flour, oat flour, pumpernickel flour, buckwheat flour, corn flour, soy flour, rice flour, malted barley flour “in an 8 grain mix,” oat bran. I used oil in the batter, as opposed to an egg. Directions called for a range of liquid (cold water). When prepared according to package directions, the batter was of a great consistency. It had a very good rise; there was less browning than most. The finished pancakes seem almost as though they’re made from white flour; they’re light-colored and very mild in flavor. The texture is slightly gummy. This variety is a good introduction to multiple grain products. A favorite.
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These 8 Grain Buttermilk Pancakes were a favorite among the 99 mixes tasted. |
- Big Red Pancakes. This mix includes the well-known Cornell Formula Flour,* with added wheat germ, milk powder and soy flour to increase fiber and protein. Grain mix: wheat flour, soy flour, wheat germ. Used oil (as opposed to egg). Included a range of liquid (1-1/2 to 2 cups of cold water). When prepared according to package directions using the minimum amount of water, the batter was much too thin; I had to add more mix. The mix had a good rise, the pancakes a delicate browning. Both the batter and finished pancakes are light in color. The finished pancakes have a mild flavor but are too gummy even for me.
*A enhanced flour developed in the late 1948s at Cornell University, to raise the nutrition level of bread.
- Buckwheat Pancakes. Grain mix: buckwheat flour, corn flour. When prepared according to package directions, the batter was of a great consistency. The mix had a very good rise, with less browning than most. The finished pancakes are light in color, with a very mild taste. Good.
- Old Fashioned Buckwheat Pancakes. I can’t believe that anyone still makes something like this. It’s a mix that requires an overnight standing period (at room temperature). You blend the mix with warm water, cover and let it stand overnight. The next morning, you add pre-measured sugar, oil, and water if necessary to thin the batter sufficiently (I had to add water). There’s very good rise, but not much browning. The pancakes were very difficult to flip; I’m not sure why, but they didn’t want to turn over, and a spatula inserted underneath an edge usually just pushed them around on the griddle. The finished pancakes had a tough exterior crust and were quite gummy and bland (even with syrup).
Go To The Pancake Mix Reviews Index
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