Sometimes it seems like I get into a rut when making breakfast foods – and tend to just make the same two or three foods over and over. So I’m always looking for easy-to-make recipes for breakfast foods. I recently saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Nut Pancakes, and decided to give it a try.
This recipe is a keeper. The pancakes contained lots of chopped walnuts, and had a lovely texture and flavor.
Here’s the original recipe:
A hundred-years-ago many families still lived on farms and drank non-pasteurized milk; and, even in towns, much of the milk that was sold was not pasteurized. Back then, if the non-pasteurized milk was not used quickly, the “good” bacteria in the milk would turn it into a sour milk suitable for use in recipes. When making old recipes that call for sour milk, today’s pasteurized milk can be turned into a sour milk by adding a little vinegar or lemon juice to create a slightly curdled acidic milk.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Nut Pancakes
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice (I used vinegar.)
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons butter, melted
3/4 cup walnuts chopped
Put the milk in a cup or bowl, then stir in the vinegar or lemon juice. Set aside for at least 2 minutes.
Put the bread flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder,, melted butter, and milk that has been combined with the vinegar or lemon juice in a mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
Heat a lightly greased griddle or skillet to a medium temperature, then pour or scoop batter onto the hot surface to make individual pancakes. Cook until the top surface is hot and bubbly, and then flip and cook other side.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Nice recipe Nice post
Thanks
This sounds good, and John loves walnuts. I made blueberry pancakes yesterday, and both husband and grandson loved them.
Sounds delicious, and perfect for a Sunday morning. Maybe I will try it with Kefir as I got the fridge full of it. 🙂
This brings back a memory. My mother’s would make walnut pancakes. Her pancakes were really thick, and even as a kid I couldn’t stand nuts in food, so they were not my favorite. Nonetheless, I probably haven’t recalled this for well over thirty years.
Sounds like a lovely pancake recipe Sheryl!
They look delish!
This sounds like a nice breakfast. I always have nuts around that need eating! I wonder if buttermilk might be a good substitute for the sour milk?
Truly a pleasure to read this 100-y.o. recipe, Sheryl. “Cupfuls” is an interesting word you don’t see anymore in recipes. I liked your description of the sour milk in those days, too. I’ve made buttermilk this way, adding lemon juice to milk and letting it sour, when a recipe called for it and I didn’t have it on hand. It’s not quite as good as store-bought buttermilk though. Another delightful look at an old recipe, Sheryl, thank you.
This makes me want to go make pancakes for breakfast! I used to eat them with pecans in them, also. I have soured many a cupful of milk with vinegar!
I pretty much created a similar recipe myself, except I also added blueberries. I use extra virgin olive oil instead of the melted butter, and buttermilk instead of curdling the milk with vinegar. Whole wheat bread flour (theirs was probably whole wheat as well). And cook it according to the same instructions. Maple syrup from a local farmer or unsweetened applesauce on top. My grandchildren won’t eat it. They prefer the airy pancakes they are used to with no taste, just something to make it easier to get the syrup. But most adults really like it, including the adult grandchild.