Fermented Whole Wheat Pancakes + Introducing Grapewood Farm

Hello! I am excited to let you know about a new affiliation I have with Grapewood Farm, an organic farm in Montross, VA that specializes in growing modern and ancient grains.

I also have for you an easy pancake recipe that features soured grains, which is a great way to get the nutritional benefit and high digestibility of sourdough without actually using a sourdough starter. Read on for the details, and don’t forget to leave me a comment below.

I feature Grapewood Farm whole unsifted hard red wheat flour in this recipe. They give me a discount in exchange for promoting their products, but I only promote companies I highly value.

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Grapewood Farm: Virginia Grown, Virginia Ground

I first discovered Grapewood Farm by doing a search online for local, organic wheat flour. I was surprised to find a farm just three hours from me that not only grows organic wheat, but also ancient grains and rye, including including hard and soft red wheat, sungold spelt, danko rye, and, later this year, emmer.

After comparing costs to what I can buy at the supermarket vs. what I could order from their farm, I decided to order a 10 kg (22 lb) bag of of #70 sifted hard red wheat flour (similar to all-purpose flour) that was shipped to my door. The price with shipping was similar to what I could get at the store, but the difference was that my flour from Grapewood Farm was milled just days before I received it. Freshly milled flour has better flavor and higher nutrition than flour that has been sitting on grocery store shelves. I keep the milled flour in a chest freezer to preserve the nutrition and take out what I need to use week to week.

Grapewood Farm began as a weekend house for Fred and Cathy Sachs when their two sons were teenagers. They wanted a place for them to get some exercise. One thing led to another, and they started farming the land. There was never a question about whether to farm organic or not. They were well aware of the dangers of glyphosate in wheat and the fact that you just can’t get that out of the flour. We become what we eat, and the Sachs family wanted to produce a product that helped rather than harmed our bodies.

In the beginning, the soil at Grapewood Farm was poor. The land had been conventionally farmed and was full of weeds. But over time they were able to heal the land and grow different varieties of organic wheat. Their two biggest challenges have been continuing to improve the soil and the time involved to work the soil in an organic method.

Grapewood Farm is committed to the good stewardship of the land and its soils.  We specialize in producing superior organic small grains and stone ground flour for our community.

Grapewood farm

This is the kind of company I can get behind. Caring for the soil, growing organic food, and producing a genuinely good product. If you’d like to order from them, you can go through their website. They offer whole grain wheat berries, hard and soft red wheat flour, rye, and spelt.

Fermented Whole Wheat Pancakes

And now, onto the recipe. I love to make these whole wheat pancakes when I have just made raw yogurt, strained it, and am left with extra liquid whey. It would be such a waste to discard the whey, so I look for methods to use it up and add nutrition to our weekly meals.

My favorite whey (ha ha) is to either make muffins or pancakes (muffins are essentially made from thick pancake batter). You simply combine equal parts liquid whey with whole wheat flour (I used Grapewood Farm’s whole unsifted hard red wheat flour) and let it sit at room temperature overnight. In the morning, add some melted butter, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, optional cinnamon, and salt. Whisk it up, pour it onto the griddle, and you have yourself some delicious pancakes.

If you don’t have liquid whey, you can also use buttermilk or thinned yogurt. The acidity will still break down the phytic acid in the wheat, making them more nutritious and digestible.

My family enjoys these fermented pancakes with butter and real maple syrup. My husband also likes to put peanut butter and banana on his, and my daughters enjoy theirs with raw yogurt with cinnamon and blueberries. There are many ways to top a pancake, but make sure you start with this healthy base of fermented whole wheat pancakes, made with freshly milled whole unsifted hard red wheat flour from Grapewood Farm, for optimal nutrition.

Before You Go, Consider These Other Breakfast Recipes:

• How to Make Soaked Oatmeal: Oatmeal is a great option for a quick but filling breakfast on a weekday morning. Get them started the night before by soaking them in warm water and a splash of apple cider vinegar. They take just five minutes to cook in the morning. The classic toppings in our family include raw cream or whole milk, cinnamon, and raisins.
• Naturally Sweetened Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls: These rolls are a special weekend option when you have more time to spend on breakfast. Mix up the dough the night before using Grapewood Farm flour for a nutrition boost. In the morning, finish making the rolls and bake. Serve them warm.
• Feel Good Protein Smoothie: I love a good smoothie, and this one can use liquid whey in place of the yogurt if you have some you need to use up. Packed with probiotics, whey protein, chia seeds, and blueberries. Great for on the go breakfasts.

Take care everyone, and I’ll see you next time.

Rebekah