Let's make a pancake!

When I was little, I loved Eric Carle books -- the vibrant colors of his illustrations captivated me (as did his whimsical representation of a caterpillar eating its way through a book). One of my very favorites was Pancakes, Pancakes (Photo from here), a story about a boy named Jack who wanted a pancake for breakfast. His mother agrees to teach him how to make it, but first Jack has to thresh wheat and grind the flour, milk a cow, churn butter, collect eggs from the henhouse, and go down into the cool cellar to get strawberry jam. To this day, I still think of this book whenever I make pancakes.

Last weekend I was craving a big, bang-up breakfast. It was just me at home, but pancakes seemed worth the trouble. I had recently seen oatmeal pancakes on a brunch menu and decided to look for a recipe. I returned to the genius of Smitten Kitchen for this recipe, which I only tweaked by changing the oatmeal to steel-cut oatmeal for a lovely, toothsome bite. The cast iron pan and butter gave these pancakes wonderfully crisp edges, and the whole grain flour made them hearty and sweet. Perhaps I didn't have to thresh my own wheat, but I did grind the oat flour and warmed up a little peach butter from my cool fridge.

In the end, the breakfast (and massive quantities of leftover pancakes) was totally worth the effort, even just for one.

(Note: these are good as new reheated in the oven; preheat the oven to 350ºF and bake in a single layer for 10 minutes.)

~

Oatmeal Pancakes
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

3/4 c oat flour (you can make this by pulsing rolled oats into a food processor/immersion blender until finely ground; 1 c oats yielded 3/4 c oat flour for both SK and me)

1 c all-purpose flour

2 T sugar

2 t baking powder

3/4 t Kosher or coarse salt

3 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus extra for the pan)

1 1/4 c whole milk

1 c cooked, steel-cut oatmeal

1 T unsulphured molasses or honey

2 large eggs

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the butter, milk, cooked oatmeal, molasses or honey, and eggs together until thoroughly combined. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Heat a 10" cast-iron pan or griddle over medium heat until water droplets "dance" but don't disappear instantly. Lower to medium-low. Rub the pan generously with butter. Working quickly, dollop 1/4-c mounds of batter onto the pan, 2 or 3 at a time. Once bubbles have begun to form on the top side of the pancake, flip the pancake and cook until the bottom is golden-brown, about 5 minutes total. Repeat until batter is gone.

Serve the pancakes hot, straight from the skillet or keep them warm in a low oven. These are so rich and delicious you could eat the plain, but jam or syrup are always welcome in my house.