If you don’t have anything special planned for Father’s Day (this Sunday!) then here is your answer. This simple whole-wheat German “oven pancake” can easily be passed off as a breakfast, snack, or even a dessert dish (especially if you top it with homemade ice cream…yum). Both the apple and pear suggested below go really well with the flavors, but don’t be afraid to experiment with other fruits like bananas, raisins, or blueberries depending on what you have on hand.
Some other Father’s Day brunch ideas are as follows:
- Egg Soufflé
- Whole-Wheat French Toast
- Green Eggs {and Ham}
- Whole-Wheat Banana Pancakes
- Breakfast Casserole Bites
- Whole-Wheat Crepes
- Quiche
- Whole-Wheat Waffles
Whole-Wheat Oven Pancake
Ingredients
- 5 eggs, preferably pastured and/or organic
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup honey, plus 1 teaspoon, divided
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, preferably organic
- 1 apple, preferably organic
- 1 pear, preferably organic
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, We prefer fresh
Optional Toppings
- pure maple syrup
- berries
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
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Core and slice both the apple and pear (you can leave the peel on) into pieces between ¼” and ½” thick, set aside.
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In a blender combine the eggs, vanilla, honey, flour, baking powder and salt. Blend until smooth, about 10 – 15 seconds.
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Heat the butter in an ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced pears and apples and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle the fruit with cinnamon and remaining teaspoon of honey then toss to combine.
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Spread fruit evenly across bottom of pan and pour batter over top. Cook for about 4 - 5 minutes over medium-low heat until the bottom is set. Transfer to oven and bake until top is golden brown, about 6 – 8 minutes.
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Put a large round platter upside down over the top of pan and then flip over together with pan. The pancake should come out clean onto the platter. Slice, eat, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
My family loves these. I usually make ours with apples, but last summer I used fresh picked huckleberries and it was fantastic!
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We make something like this almost every weekend. Our ratio & method are a little different, though.
1 c each flour and milk (I still use half white, but all whole works, it just makes a heavier end product)
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt (optional)
Preheat oven to 415 with a cast iron pan (about 10″) on the middle rack. (A non-stick 10″ oven-proof skillet works fine too, but don’t preheat it — just put it in with the butter to melt it right before you add the batter.)
Whisk together first the flour into the milk (and salt), then the eggs. You could use a blender, but this takes less time than it takes me to clean my blender so I use a whisk.
Swirl 1.5-2 Tbsp butter in the hot pan to coat, then pour in batter. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce temp to 350 and bake 5 minutes longer.
Alterations: saute apples, pears, or hard persimmons with cinnamon and butter/oil in a separate pan and artfully arrange on top of the batter before putting in the oven. Or, make it savory and add cooked sausage, leftover taco meat, sauteed mushrooms and onions, etc. in the same way (I think it helps it stick less if you drop the additions on top of the batter instead of vice versa, but maybe that’s just my pan).
If served without alternations, it’s really good with lemon juice squeezed on top (I grew up with lemon & powdered sugar, but I’ve discovered just lemon is good too), or fresh fruit, or freshly made berry compote (frozen berries simmered until they start to fall apart a little).
This is very similar to the Whole Wheat Pancake with Pears from Whole Foods Market. I liked your addition of one apple – I did the same thing when I made the Whole Foods recipe and it was great. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2833
Hello Lisa, I love your recipes! I will surely be making this for my husband on father’s day. I was wondering if you had any tips on using stainless steel pans. I noticed you use them even for crepes. I have a cuisinart brand and it often sticks all the food I cook, even eggs. It’s probably just me not knowing how to use it properly and not the pan itself. Any ideas? Thank you!
There can be a learning curve when it comes to stainless steel, but one thing I’ve learned when it comes to eggs is cook them either on low or high (not medium) and use plenty of butter to prevent sticking. It’s definitely the technique when it comes to eggs! I hope that helps :)
I love DoTERRA essential oils! I mix a drop of wild orange or Citrus Bliss with jojoba oil as a moisturizer and it makes me feel so happy! I also have samples of the lavender, melaleuca and lemon that I’ve been using for various things. I love the Terra Shield for bugs- it works well and smells soooo good. I’m very pleased with the On Guard concentrated cleaning liquid I purchased to try. I make all of my cleaning products, but wanted to give this a try to see how far it will stretch. Love how it works! I’ve found I don’t need any baking powder to scrub out the bathroom sinks, the spray is enough. I was skeptical because of the price, but I’m a believer. And a little really does go a long way.
Anyone suggestions on how to make this gluten free?
My daughter was on a GF diet for awhile and I got Pamela’s Bread Mix and Flour Blend and substituted it for regular flour and the results were good every time I used it. It doesn’t fit with the “real food” rules because it has white rice flour, evaporated cane sugar, etc., but it’s a lot closer than buying the pre-made GF breads that were really dry and crumbly. I got it at my local grocery store, but Amazon has it in bulk for a good price too.
Hi Jill. I haven’t tried anything yet, but, what about almond flour? I’ve been reading a lot about it and have actually wanted to try it myself (my husband is gluten free). It’s much healthier than many of the gluten free all purpose flours (which use some processed flours). It might be worth a try. Good luck. Jill
I have been wanting to try Almond flour. Do you substitute it 1:1?
Hi Jill. I haven’t really done a lot of experimenting with almond flour…yet (I’m planning to). From everything I’ve read though it sounds like it is often combined with other gluten free flours in baking. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help – let us know how it goes though. Jill
Yum!!! I hate to ask bc u already do so much, but… are any new weekly meal plans on the works? I am addicted to them! They make my life so easy!!! Thank you!
No new plans in the works right now…but I will eventually do some more (stay tuned!). I am glad you like them so much. :)
Made this today and it was great! Unfortunately, my kids won’t eat fruit if it’s mixed with anything (i.e. blueberry pancakes), but they still ate the pancake part. Thanks for sharing your insight and recipes – so very appreciated!!
There’s supposed to be milk in this recipe, right?
Nope, no milk. Jill
Is it better to purchase “Multigrain” English Muffins or “Whole-Grain” English muffins? The “Mulitigrain” Muffins have 8 grams of fiber vs. the 3 grams in the “Whole-Grain” Muffins. Does that make them better even if they have enriched wheat flour?
I don’t know specifically about the English Muffins, but some products add chicory root and other things to up the fiber content on the label, but our body doesn’t really process it like real fiber so it’s not worth it.
Hi Haley. I would look at the ingredients. You really want the first ingredient to be 100% whole wheat flour. Hope that helps. Jill
My husband agreed to have me make this for Father’s Day this morning even though it has whole wheat flour–in his opinion nothing with whole wheat tastes good. He agreed that it was delicious! Not even “delicious for whole wheat”–just overall delicious!
The whole-wheat oven pancake was fantastic . Substituted an organic peach for the pear. Thank you for the wonderful recipes. My husband loved this father’s day treat.
Hi,
Anyone know if this can be assembled the night before and baked in the morning? Thanks for any feedback, I’d hate to try and waste ingredients if possible :)
Jess,
I made this recipe this morning, and I don’t see why you can’t prep the fruit the night before as well as mix up the batter. You’ll probably just need to give the batter a good whisking before you use it as it may separate slightly. You can’t go wrong with this recipe!
Good luck!
mom2lo
This. Was. Amazing! I was worried about switching up to white whole-wheat off the bat (5 and 2 year olds at home), so I did half white whole-wheat and half white flour, and also added 1/2 of a mashed banana to the batter. It turned out unbelievable!!! If this is what eating whole food is all about, I’m totally game! We’ve been working on our first week of real foods (as much as possible) and it has been utterly amazing how much better I feel and how much less we all eat!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for your amazing blog, Lisa. I link to your recipes all the time and have shared your site with family and friends to try to encourage them to at least eat MORE real foods (even if they aren’t ready to eliminate processed foods 100% — I figure baby steps are better than nothing!).
:)
mom2lo
Have you tried cast iron? It is all I use for skillets. Eggs taste so good in it and using a bit of butter they slide right out, same with veggies, meats everything.
Thank you for your blog! I am enjoying exploring and looking forward to trying lots of recipes. I tried the Banana Pancakes with and without blueberries. They were so good.
I want to use your menus too. I think they look kid friendly. My young children are picky eaters and used to processed food. One is hungry all the time. I think the Real food will help her so much. We have wanted to change our habits for a long time, but didn’t know where to start. Thank you!
Found your blog (again) through a link on the Charlotteobserver.com. These pancakes are reminiscent of ones my mom made, just much healthier. I made them this morning for my kids and they were a hit – better than the unhealthy ones my mom used to make.
I was looking for a way to alter this childhood favorite, thanks!! We’re testing it out this AM :)
Has anyone tried freezing this pancake? I would like any suggestions!
Thanks!
My children are quirky with food, as so many are. We haven’t adopted a 100% whole food diet, but I have been enjoying finding foods they will eat! One of their quirks, is not liking cooked apples… Booo. I experimented with your recipe a bit today though and it turned out so yummy, I wanted to share with you! I left out all the sweet and spice… So just the eggs, wheat flour, and baking powder. Instead of fruit, I browned a pound of breakfast sausage. Crumbled bacon, or cubed ham would work too I would think. I sprinkled about half a cup of shredded cheddar over the sausage, and spread the pancake mix over the top. Cooked on the stove top and in the oven per your recipe. It’s a big hit!
I also had a question, what are your thoughts on corn starch as a thickener? I want to make a chocolate pudding, but the only thickener I’ve ever used for that is corn starch. I saw your post about refined grains… Wild you use a substitute?
Thanks so much
Hi Rachel. Glad you enjoyed the recipe. As for a thickener, have you tried arrowroot powder? You can use it at the same ratios as cornstarch. Jill
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Could you use a cake pan?
Hi Rachel. I would think a cake pan would work fine. Goodluck. ~Amy
This is so good!
This was SO DELICIOUS! I’m already thinking of other fruits that I could try this with. I can’t wait to make this again soon!
We really enjoyed this, but eat it fast! After a couple days in the fridge, the bottom turned kind of black? I don’t think it could mold that quickly, so maybe it was from the apples turning brown or something. I didn’t sample to find out. But delicious when fresh!
This is amazing! My husband said he did not even need the syrup and had like Half the pancake! My little 22 month old enjoyed it a whole lot as well! So wholesome and delicous!! Thanks:) I also used organic whole sprouted flour and it was perfect:)
We had a similar dish at an organic restaurant in San Antonio Texas called Luke…they said it usually called for apples and pears but they used strawberries and a sweet cream topping along with some struesel type topping…it was so yummy! Cant wait to try this one at home!
Agreed: No syrup needed! I made this for my in-laws and boys for breakfast. I didn’t have pears so I used apples, raisins and a few blueberries (berries thrown in right before I poured the batter). AND It was great as a snack later! The kids ate it like a piece of pizza and asked for more. Thank you!! :D
I was wondering if I can use my all clad 11 inch pan for the oven pancakes? Thankyou!!
Hi Natalie. Yes. I think that is the same thing Lisa used. :) ~Amy
Can you do it on the stove? My oven just went out. :(
Hi Aleta. I’ve not tried this particular recipe on the stove top but think it will work. ~Amy
We started recipe in a cast iron skillet and then transferred to oven and it baked perfectly! We also topped with warm blueberries, yum. Fantastic recipe!
I love doing these german pancakes, although we don’t usually do it with fruit, we will have to try that!
I LOVE Do Terra essential oils. I use them daily for just about everything. they are really amazing. Any kind of sickness, bump, bruise, burn, etc. there is an oil for it. I love that it is safe to use on my kids and you can even use it in your cooking!
Delicious of course! It was perfect with over ripe pears! Why is the blender necessary? I found it was sort of messy. I need to get an immersion blender. Would it have worked for this?
Hi Franki. You could do it by hand. We’ve not tried an immersion blender for this recipe, however. ~Amy
I LOVE doTERRA’s oil’s! I work in a holistic health and wellness centre and almost all of our practitioners use them. Digest Zen is phenomenal, Citrus Bliss I’ve used as a scent, it’s amazing…We put the peppermint in our water with cucumbers, in baking. The oils are great for cooking and for health benefits! They all have soo soooo many uses! If you have high strung children you can put a couple drops of Balance or Serenity on the back of their necks and watch how calm they get, I’ve done it! LOVE THE OILS! Also, can’t wait to try this recipe! Baked Pancake? Who’d a thunk it? ;) So much less work! Thanks for sharing :D
My 2yo has an egg allergy. Can an egg substitute be used? Any advice for dealing w/an egg allergy and cooking real food breakfasts?
Hi Pia. I use flax eggs quite a lot and I believe they will work quite well in this recipe: http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/egg-replacers/flax-seed-egg-replacer. I’ve used them in Lisa’s waffle and pancake recipe with much success. ~Amy
I made it this morning and it was really yummy! We didn’t even bother with syrup. My husband and five year old daughter ate it up quickly. My 3 year old (very picky eater) gagged when he tasted the fruit in it (he loves fresh fruit especially apples) so I think it was a texture issue for him. He ate around them and he liked the rest of it.
I just fixed these to have for my daughter’s lunches. We taste tested an 1/8 pancake each and both give it a thumbs up! Delicious!!! I’m guessing we flash freeze prior to freezing a batch together!?!
Hi Juile. Yep, that should work. :) ~Amy
LOVE doTerra essential oils!!!! Peppermint for headaches, lavender to calm me, DigestZen is amazing, Frankincense for my muscle spasms, Deep blue for muscle pain. Lemon oil in my water!!!! Just can’t say enough about it.
Looking forward to make this oven pancake. I want to top with Greek yogurt and berries!!!
Just made for breakfast and it is so easy and delicious! I used my hand electric mixer instead of blender came out perfect!
We had this for breakfast over the weekend. It was delicious. I cooked it a bit too long so it stuck to the pan a little, but it was totally my fault. It was still delicious. Also, we use doTERRA and really love their products.
This was so good, I couldn’t believe it was healthy! Finding healthy breakfasts on the sweeter side was a struggle for us. You get tired of eggs after a while. I’m tackling breakfast first. If we can get away from store bought frozen waffles and toaster pastries (even if they are organic), then we can do it all. So many recipes here to try. :)
Is there a way to double this recipe? If I use a 14 inch cast iron pan? Would baking temp/time be the same? Thanks!
Hi Kay. Sorry, we’ve not tried doubling this recipe.
Mine both burned and stuck, probably cooked too long. Also how much is it supposed to rise? Mine did about 1 inch. Topped with caramelized bananas
Yep, sounds like you cooked a little long or hot. An inch is a normal rise on these.