Margaret's Oatmeal Hotcakes

Margaret's Oatmeal Hotcakes - December 11, 2009

I have no idea who Margaret is but this was the name of the recipe from Bread for Breakfast. If you ever need to use up leftover buttermilk, this is a good way to use it. I will often try out recipes that call for buttermilk but I usually only need a cup or 1/2 cup or less and I hate to waste ingredients so I try to combine what I make to use up what I have. This one uses 2 cups and is easy to make in a pinch. Be warned though - this doesn't make light, fluffy pancakes. With this much oatmeal, you can expect it to be pretty hardy. One normal-sized pancake fills me up for most of the morning. I cook the entire batch then freeze them, separated by wax paper and warm one up for breakfast on the weekends (need protein during the weekdays). What I like about these is they're tasty enough on their own that I can actually eat them without butter or syrup so it helps keep the calories down. But then again, I also have pretty bland tastebuds so maybe it's just me. I've never made the syrup recipe below so you're on your own with that one.

Margaret's Oatmeal Hotcakes from Bread for Breakfast

2 cups cultured buttermilk
1 ¾ cups quick-cooking rolled oats
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour or white spelt flour
¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup light olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots (or combination of the two)

Warm maple pancake syrup
1 cup pure maple syrup
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon golden rum (optional)

1. Mix together the buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl (I use one with a plastic lid). Refrigerate overnight.
2. In the morning, remove the mixture from the refrigerator. Sprinkle the flours and sugar over the oats. Add the eggs, oil, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk into the oatmeal mixture. The batter will be thick; thin it with a little more buttermilk, if you like. Stir in the cranberries or the apricots.
3. Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat until a drop of water skates over the surface and lightly grease. Using a ¼ cup measure for each pancake, ladle the batter onto the griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the surface, the edges are dry and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn once, cooking the other side until golden, about 1 minute. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200° oven until ready to serve.
4. To make the warm pancake syrup, combine the maple syrup, butter, and rum in a small saucepan or microwave-proof bowl. Heat slowly until the butter is melted. Serve immediately.

Makes 6-8 hotcakes