Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a bit of a pancake tear lately. Including today, three of the last 4 Sundays have involved pancakes in some form or another. Maybe I was just getting a head start on National Pancake Week? There seems to be a bit of disagreement over the exact dates of this celebration, but I’ve found some evidence that it starts today so I’m going to run with it! My favorite thing about pancakes is their versatility – while they’re probably most common for breakfast, I love them for dinner too, and there are a million and one variations out there so you could keep trying new pancake recipes for a very long time if you wanted 🙂 I have one more I’m excited to share with you later this week, but I’m getting ahead of myself. First, let me tell you about these whole wheat oatmeal pancakes.

Though my favorite pancakes usually involve chocolate chips and are on the sweeter side, I set out to find something a little healthier for breakfast one day, and after looking around a bit, I decided on this recipe. It’s made entirely with whole wheat flour and also includes lots of oats. There’s only 2 tablespoons of butter in the entire recipe, and just 1 tablespoon of sugar – that’s about as healthy as pancakes are going to get around here 🙂 I was nervous these might be heavy or dense, but that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, they were surprisingly light and fluffy, with just a tiny bit of texture from the oats. I never would have guessed the pancakes were whole wheat if I hadn’t known (though full disclosure – I used white whole wheat flour so I can’t say for sure I would have felt the same with traditional whole wheat). They aren’t very sweet, I definitely added some maple syrup, but I also think they’d be good with fruit so I may go that route next time. Filling and nutritious, these whole wheat oatmeal pancakes were pretty much the perfect way to start the day!

If you want to make some pancakes to celebrate National Pancake Week, here are a few of my other favorites:

Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
Blueberry Pancakes
Gingerbread Pancakes

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes
from Gourmet, February 2008 (via Epicurious)

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
canola oil (or nonstick cooking spray) for cooking

{If you aren’t going to serve the pancakes until you’ve cooked all of them, preheat oven to 200 F. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and set it inside a baking sheet then place the baking sheet in the oven.}

Combine the oats and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk in a medium bowl and soak for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together.  Add the egg, melted butter, brown sugar, the remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of buttermilk, and the oat mixture to the bowl.  Whisk together until just barely combined.

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet set over medium heat (or spray with nonstick cooking spray). Once the oil starts shimmering, use paper towels to wipe the pan so only a thin, even coating of oil covers the bottom and sides. Use a 1/4 cup measure to portion the batter into the pan. Cook on the first side until the edges are set and bubbles form on the surface.  Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side, or until golden brown and cooked through. {If not serving immediately, transfer the pancakes to the wire rack in the oven.} Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.

Makes 10-12 pancakes