Breakfast can be one of the best meals of the day because it’s early — you have a whole new day ahead of you. Breakfast can also be fun since there is a wide variety of meals that you can honestly call “breakfast”. Therefore, enjoy meeting the new day on the patio with a tasty meal and a hot cup of coffee or your favorite morning beverage. “What tasty meal”, you say? I say oatmeal pancakes.
Here’s the Back Story on Oatmeal Pancakes
Julie has had a number of health issues that we have successfully managed through diet modification. I know because I do the cooking in our family. We try to avoid wheat flour but Julie LOVES pancakes for breakfast. And so, culinary ingenuity was in order. After all, doesn’t the saying go that “necessity is the mother of invention”, right?
No Wheat Flour
I replaced wheat flour with oatmeal ground into “meal”. By that I mean by definition: “meal is a coarse flour made from whole oats ground into a coarse powder.” When grinding is complete, what you have looks like sawdust. This is different than using pre-packaged, store bought oat flour which is too fine and will throw off the recipe. I use regular ol’ Quaker Oats oatmeal in my food processor. Grind for a minute or two until it has a coarse texture like sawdust. This is the basis for the pancake.
Not Your Average Pancake
Now, these will not produce light, fluffy pancakes that you might get at the IHOP. These are dense, stick-to-your-ribs pancakes that are low-calorie, gluten-free, low FODMAP and lactose free. And, very tasty. (Don’t be a skeptic.)
The pancake batter is sweetened with 3 to 4 mid-size bananas that are over-ripe — not rotten, but very soft and very sweet — about as far as ripe as you would enjoy eating them.
And we mix the batter with unsweetened almond milk, sometimes with vanilla added by the producer. And we still add a teaspoon of vanilla extract for balance.
OK, Here’s the Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe Ingredients:
- 2 cups regular oatmeal blended or food processed into a “meal” texture
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 3 to 4 mid-size bananas over-ripe but not rotten or brown inside
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Unsweetened almond milk with or without vanilla added to the milk by the producer
Make the Oatmeal Pancakes Batter
In a medium bowl, mash the peeled bananas and eggs together. Using a hand mixer is good and preferred but a hand potato masher is OK too. Add the vanilla and mix. In a separate container, mix the baking powder and oatmeal meal, then add the dry mix to the wet mix. And remember, that is two cups bulk oatmeal ground into meal.
Start to mix the oatmeal meal with the liquid ingredients — it will be thick, So thin it out with a little almond milk at a time. Your goal is to get a batter that is like very thick gravy. You want the batter to spread out a little when poured on the hot griddle but no so thin that you end up with something like a crepe or batter so thin you can’t flip the pancakes. Don’t worry, you’ll know the right consistency when you see it in the bowl. Just add the almond milk in small batches to control your batter density. Sounds like science, huh?
Now, I’ve told you before I only cook on cast iron. If you don’t, that’s OK. But I’ll reference cast iron here because you’ll want to convert if you aren’t making your pancakes on cast iron. If you don’t, that’s OK (smirk – defined as a smug, conceited smile).
While you are letting the batter rest for a few minutes, you’ll want to heat up your griddle. I have a gas stove in my kitchen and a two-burner cast iron griddle (shown above). Or, if you have an outdoor grilling deck like I do you can have a two burner propane camp stove (shown below) and cook your oatmeal pancakes in your outdoor living space. Your neighbors will probably be jealous if they see you in your jammies making breakfast on your patio.
Heat the griddle up on medium-high to high heat. After about five minutes get some water on your hand and sprinkle the drops on the hot pan. If it sizzles and evaporates quickly your pan is ready.
I use an “oil mister” to lightly dust the griddle so the batter won’t stick but it allows me to limit the calories from using an excess of oil (canola). I like this product because the harder and faster you squeeze the handle, the finer the mist of oil. So you have options based on how aggressive you squeeze the handle given how much oil you want on your pan.
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and scoop out one unit of batter for a “test” pancake. Dump it on the griddle. The batter will start to brown around the edge fairly quickly. Don’t wait for bubbles to appear in the batter as a clue to flip the pancakes. If you do that your dense oatmeal pancakes will burn. Spritz some oil on your spatula and slide it under your test pancake. If it slides easily under the batter, its ready to flip. Do so. If it resists, let the pancake cook a bit longer. You may have to flip the pancake several times to get it cooked without burning it but now you have a known process to cook the balance of your batter:
- You know that the griddle is at the correct temperature.
- You know how much batter to scoop per pancake.
- You know the visual clue when to flip the pancake.
- You know how many times you may have to flip the pancakes to ensure they’re cooked.
- And you’ll know when to call your family/guests to the table to start eating while you finish cooking so the pancakes don’t get cold.
Here’s An Oatmeal Pancake Tip:
To determine if the pancakes are cooked, lightly press one of the pancakes with your spatula. If they are spongy, cook them a little longer by flipping them at short cooking intervals, say one minute. If you lightly press them and they are firm, then they are done — remove them from the griddle.
This process works when grilling meat as well.
By the way, this process works when grilling meat — pork, chicken breasts, and beef. When it feels solid, not spongy, it is cooked, If it’s not completely up to temperature, it will be as it rests after you remove it from the heat. If you have it on the heat up til the time you feel it is completely cooked it will be tough and dried out. Trust me. I’ve thrown out enough disappointing meat and ordered a pizza to be delivered to know when meat is done and needs to come off the heat. But, just to be safe and to protect my legal butt, check out the government recommended cooking temperature and act accordingly (smirk . . . again).
Top your Oatmeal Pancakes
Now, you could top your pancakes with PURE maple syrup — where we live in Southwest Virginia there are many maple syrup producers who make fabulous maple syrup products. But the sugar is too much for Julie. So she tops her pancakes with a light spread of butter and then sprinkles Randy’s Eat Shop mixture of cinnamon and Monk Fruit Sugar. Here’s the mixture:
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup Monk Fruit Sugar
Mix it together so it creates a dark brown consistent color and then pour it into a shaker container. Shake it on your buttered pancakes and enjoy!
Here’s Another Oatmeal Pancake Tip:
This recipe makes a dozen (12) pancakes. I freeze leftovers in units of three each for a future quick breakfast. Thaw them in the fridge the night before or in the microwave the morning of your pancake breakfast.
Oatmeal Pancakes on the Patio
So, you have your golden brown oatmeal pancakes hot, lightly buttered, and smothered in maple syrup or dusted with Randy’s Eat Shop Cinnamon/Sugar mix. You might have a couple of strips of crisp bacon on the side, may have a sausage patty, or, perhaps the night before you made the patio-friendly Randy’s Eat Shop Sausage Wonton Cups and, surprisingly, some were left over. You add those to your pancake plate, grab your Randy’s Eat Shop Cold Brewed Coffee and head out to the patio. The air is crisp (if it’s Autumn) and the sun is up but the outdoors is still absent of human sounds and yet alive with nature’s sounds. How could breakfast be any better? It probably can’t. Just enjoy!
And remember, every day is Friday on the patio. Even when it’s breakfast!
Pancake Making FAQs
What are some tips for making the perfect “pancake”?
- Whisk your dry ingredients to avoid big lumps.
- Resist over-mixing the batter.
- Rest the batter before cooking.
- Use a big skillet or, better yet, a griddle.
- Re-mist the pan with oil between batches.
- Pay attention.
How thick should pancake batter be?
Pancake batter should be thick and slightly lumpy, like a thick porridge, rather than watery or smooth like heavy cream. A thick, lumpy batter holds air better and prevents them from spreading too much and becoming thin and flat.
Should you let pancake batter rest?
Yes, you should let pancake batter rest, ideally for 10 to 30 minutes, to achieve lighter, fluffier, and more tender pancakes. Resting allows the flour to fully hydrate, preventing dry pockets. The hydration process causes the batter to thicken, which increases its viscosity. A thicker batter spreads less on the griddle.
Do you cook pancakes in oil or butter?
You can cook pancakes in either oil or butter, but oil is often preferred for better control over browning and a more neutral taste, while butter provides a richer flavor from its browning milk solids but can burn more easily.
How do you know when to flip pancakes?
To know when to flip a pancake, lift a corner with a spatula to check that the underside is a golden brown color. If the surface is still runny or the bottom isn’t golden, it’s too early to flip.
Please Leave a Comment
Was this information helpful? Leave a comment below and tell us if this information was of value to you or tell us what we missed and can add to this post. Are you a pancake aficionado? Have you made oatmeal pancakes previously? What is your favorite kind of pancake? Do you use your outdoor living space for activities like eating and drinking? Please share your thoughts and impressions. And tell your locale — we’re in Roanoke, Virginia, USA. Where are you?
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