There’s just something different about pancakes made with fresh flour—soft, fluffy, perfectly tender, and naturally flavorful. These fresh milled flour pancakes use 100% freshly milled wheat berries and pantry staples you probably already have on hand, making this recipe a cozy, farmhouse-approved weekend breakfast.
If you’re brand-new to fresh milling, this is a perfect entry recipe. You’ll taste the difference instantly. (Make sure to check out my post on the Simple Benefits of Fresh Milled Flour for more on why fresh grains matter!)
Why You’ll Love These Fresh Milled Flour Pancakes
- Made with 100% freshly milled grains: No store-bought flour here—just warm, flavorful whole grains milled right before mixing for the freshest taste and fluffiest texture.
- Simple, everyday ingredients: Nothing fancy or hard to find. Just pantry staples that come together beautifully with fresh flour.
- Kid-friendly and easy to mix: No complicated steps. Just whisk, rest, and cook. Even kids can help measure, stir, or flip.
- Soft, fluffy, and naturally flavorful: Fresh flour has a depth of flavor that you simply can’t get from a bag of store-bought wheat flour. These pancakes taste warm, wholesome, and lightly sweet.
- Large batch you can freeze: This recipe makes plenty—perfect for feeding a crowd or freezing leftovers for quick weekday breakfasts.
- Endless flavor variations: Add pumpkin spice, apple pie spice, lemon zest, blueberries, or chocolate chips. The batter adapts to whatever you’re craving.
- Perfect for cozy weekend mornings: Whether you’re cooking for family or enjoying a slow morning, these pancakes make breakfast feel special, nourishing, and homey.
Ingredients
Freshly Milled Flour: I use soft white wheat for the most tender pancakes, but hard white works fine, too. Any wheat variety will work—just know the flavor and color will vary slightly depending on the berry.
Leavening: Fresh-milled whole grains are heavier than store-bought flour, so you need strong leavening: Baking powder + baking soda, Eggs, the soured milk (homemade buttermilk) also helps lift the batter.
Milk + Vinegar (Homemade Buttermilk): The vinegar thickens the milk and softens whole grains, which keeps these pancakes light and fluffy.
Salt: Sea salt is a must to enhance the flavor.
Butter: Melted butter adds richness and flavor (coconut oil works, but you lose the buttery taste).
Sugar: Just enough to lightly sweeten the batter without making it too sweet for dessert.
Variations & Flavor Ideas
- Pumpkin Spice Pancakes: Add pumpkin pie spice (1 tbsp) to the dry ingredients. Perfect for fall mornings and pairs beautifully with maple syrup or whipped cream.
- Apple Pie Pancakes: Add apple pie spice (1 tbsp) and fold in 1 grated apple. These taste like fluffy apple fritters and are amazing with cinnamon butter.
- Blueberry Lemon: Add lemon zest and fresh or frozen blueberries. The lemon brightens the whole-grain flavor and keeps the pancakes light.
- Chocolate Chip: Drop a few chocolate chips onto each pancake while cooking. Press each one down with a knife to cover it with batter, to prevent burning.
- Cinnamon-Vanilla: Add a few teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 1 tbsp vanilla extract for extra warmth and depth.
- Banana Bread Pancakes: Mash 1 ripe banana into the wet ingredients and add a pinch of nutmeg. These are soft, moist, and naturally sweet.
- Carrot Cake Pancakes: Add ¼ cup finely grated carrot, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and a handful of chopped walnuts. Serve with a bit of yogurt or cream cheese topping.
- Strawberries & Cream: Fold in chopped fresh strawberries and serve with whipped cream. Great for springtime or Mother’s Day breakfast.
- Maple Pecan Pancakes: Stir in ⅓ cup chopped pecans and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Toasty, crunchy, and cozy.
- Protein Boost: Substitute ¼ cup of your wheat flour with fresh-milled einkorn or spelt or a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
- Gingerbread Pancakes: Add 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cloves, and 1 tablespoon molasses. Perfect holiday morning breakfast.
- Cranberry Orange (Winter Favorite): Fold in chopped cranberries and orange zest. Serve with warm maple syrup mixed with a little orange juice.
- Sourdough Pancakes (Fresh-Milled Hybrid): Replace ½ cup of the milk with ½ cup active sourdough starter. Adds tang and even more fluff.
- Vanilla Almond Pancakes: Add 1.5 teaspoons of almond extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and top with sliced almonds. Light, sweet, and bakery-style.
Recipe Tips
- Let the batter hydrate: Fresh-milled flour takes longer to soak up liquid. Resting the batter for 15–20 minutes prevents the classic fresh-milled issue where the bottom turns watery and the top stays thick.
- Stir gently after resting: Once hydrated, give the batter one light stir to redistribute moisture. Overmixing at this stage can deflate the rise.
- Adjust consistency as needed:
- Fresh flour varies depending on wheat type, humidity, and warmth after milling.
- Too thick → add a splash of milk
- Too thin → add 1–2 tablespoons of flour
- Spreads too much → lower heat or add a spoonful of flour
- Doesn’t spread → add a little more milk
- Use medium heat only: Fresh-milled flour browns faster than store-bought flour. Stick to medium or medium-low heat to avoid burnt edges and raw centers.
- Preheat the pan properly: Give your griddle or skillet 5 full minutes to heat. An evenly heated pan gives you consistent browning and prevents the first pancake from cooking unevenly.
- Lightly grease the surface: Too much butter or oil causes patchy browning. A thin, even coating is best.
- Flip only once: Wait until bubbles cover the surface and the edges look set. One clean flip keeps the pancakes fluffy.
- Don’t press the pancakes: Pressing them with a spatula pushes out the air and makes them dense. Let them puff naturally.
- Keep pancakes warm if needed: For serving a crowd, place cooked pancakes on a parchment-lined tray at 200°F to keep them soft without drying out.
How to Make Fresh Milled Flour Pancakes
1. Mill Your Grains: Grind your wheat berries on the finest setting your mill offers to create a fluffy, fresh flour.
2. Sour the Milk: Stir the milk and vinegar together in a large bowl. Let it sit 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
3. Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together:
- freshly milled flour
- sugar
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
4. Add Eggs & Butter to the Milk: Add eggs and melted butter into the soured milk.
5. Combine Wet & Dry: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients little by little and stir gently until just combined. Don’t overmix—lumps are okay!
6. Let the Batter Rest: This is KEY for fresh-milled flour. Fresh grains absorb liquid more slowly, which means: the bottom of the batter may look watery while the top stays thick. Let the batter sit 15-20 minutes, then give it one gentle stir before cooking.
7. Cook the Pancakes:
- Heat your skillet/griddle to medium (around 325–350°F).
- Lightly grease if needed.
- Scoop ¼ cup batter for each pancake.
- Cook until bubbles form and edges set.
- Flip and cook for another 1–2 minutes until golden.
How to Serve
Serve your pancakes warm with butter, maple syrup, fruit, or your favorite toppings.
(For more ways to change up the flavor of your pancakes, see the Variations section above.)
- Maple syrup (or infused syrups)
- Greek yogurt
- Butter and cinnamon sugar
- Fresh berries
- Homemade jam
- Whipped cream
Try warming your maple syrup with a cinnamon stick or vanilla bean for an extra layer of flavor.
Storing & Freezing
Let pancakes cool completely, then store:
- Fridge: 3–4 days in an airtight container
- Freezer: Flash-freeze on a sheet pan, then store in a freezer bag
- Reheat in a toaster, microwave, or warm skillet.
Fresh Milled Flour Pancakes
Equipment
- Grain mill
- Medium mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Griddle or cast iron (or carbon steel) skillet
- spatula
- 1/4 cup scoop (for portioning the batter evenly)
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 520 g freshly milled soft white wheat flour or hard white
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup melted butter
Instructions
- Mill Your Grains: Grind your wheat berries on the finest setting your mill offers to create a fluffy, fresh flour.
- Sour the Milk: Stir the milk and vinegar together in a large bowl. Let it sit 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the freshly milled flour, sufar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add Eggs & Butter to the Milk: Add eggs and melted butter into the soured milk.
- Combine Wet & Dry: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients little by little and stir gently until just combined. Don’t overmix—lumps are okay!
- Let the Batter Rest: This is KEY for fresh-milled flour. Fresh grains absorb liquid more slowly, which means: the bottom of the batter may look watery while the top stays thick. Let the batter sit 15-20 minutes, then give it one gentle stir before cooking.
- Cook the Pancakes: Heat your skillet/griddle to medium (around 325–350°F). Lightly grease if needed. Scoop ¼ cup batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form and edges set. Flip and cook for another 1–2 minutes until golden.
Notes
- Let the batter rest 15–20 minutes so the fresh flour can hydrate.
- If the batter separates (watery bottom, thick top), give it one gentle stir before cooking.
- Adjust consistency as needed: add a splash of milk if too thick or a spoonful of flour if too thin.
- Cook on medium heat—fresh-milled flour browns faster than regular flour.
- Flip only once, when bubbles form across the top and edges look set.
- Fridge: 3–4 days in an airtight container
- Freezer: Flash-freeze on a sheet pan, then store in a freezer bag
- Reheat in a toaster, microwave, or warm skillet.
