Breakfast: Oatmeal Pancakes and Buttermilk Syrup

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I start my day everyday with a cup of coffee.  It is important ritually and physically.  I love a dark roast with nutty flavors and a good amount of milk.  Perfection.  Sometimes I actually think about the morning cup of Joe the night before and look forward to it.  Is that going too far?  Maybe.  We all have our routines that keep life right!  This one is particularly important for me because I am not a morning person without it.  I am not really sure I am a morning person with it.  Coffee and the morning paper.  Yes, I actually hold a newspaper in my hands and read it.  No e-reader yet but I know it is coming.  Then there is breakfast!

Everyday breakfast is usually a light affair for me.  Something whole grain and nutritious such as yogurt topped with granola and/or fruit or whole grain toast with a smear of jam are among my favorites.  There are couple of breakfasts that I have made for years when the family is around or we have guests and this recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes tops the list.  They are packed with delicious rolled oats and are simple to make.  I like to serve them with maple syrup or golden syrup. For an extra special touch, I make buttermilk syrup which can easily be found in various recipe sites on the net.  I wonder who really is responsible for this buttermilk syrup recipe because it is really, really good.  I have never seen it in a cookbook.  I would love to know who came up with this incredible sweet concoction because I would have never thought of putting this combination of ingredients together.  I do know, it is delicious and complements these pancakes nicely.

Here are both recipes because they really do belong together. The oatmeal pancakes are slightly sweet from the oatmeal and the small amount of sugar added and the buttermilk syrup is definitely sweet and rich as it should be.  I love adding toasted nuts or fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and/or blackberries to this dish to balance the flavors of the cakes and syrup.    This is a denser style of pancake but definitely should satisfy all pancake lovers. These indulgent pancakes are a high fiber, nutritious breakfast that tends to fill you up faster and stay a little longer.  I like that.

 

Oatmeal Pancakes   Print Recipe
makes about 8

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (1/2 stick or 1/4 cup)

2/3 cup all purpose flour, unbleached
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
Pinch of salt
up to 2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk

Combine the oatmeal and 2 cups buttermilk together and let sit for 30 minutes to overnight.

Heat your griddle to a medium heat.  I use a cast iron griddle on my gas stove so I set my burners on about 6.

Combine the cooled butter to the beaten eggs and then add to the oatmeal mixture and mix well.  (Mixing the butter and eggs together first means your ingredients will combine better because the eggs have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties.  If you have ever added melted butter to a batter and it floated to the top in little globules, you know what I mean.  This technique helps with that just be sure the melted butter is not hot.)

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then combine them into the oatmeal mixture.  The batter will be very thick.  I usually add both table spoons of buttermilk to thin it slightly.  This batter is suppose to be thick.

Use a 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup measure (or a large spoon or ice cream scoop will do) to place the batter on the griddle.  These pancakes cook best at a lower  temperature (by about 25º) than standard pancakes.  They usually take 3 to 4 minutes per side.  I flip them when the edges are getting "dry" looking and take them off when they spring back when lightly pressed in the middle of the cake.

Notes:  Here are some variations I have used in the past:

• dried or fresh blueberries, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla, minus nutmeg
• 2/3 cup finely grated or chopped apple, 1/2 cup chopped nuts  
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 small banana chopped, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Buttermilk Syrup  
makes about 1 1/2 cups
Print Recipe

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Put all ingredients into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 6 -7 minutes.  The syrup should be a golden color.  Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla if using.


Enjoy!