Old-fashioned oatmeal pancakes

A hearty way to start a new school year.

I love breakfast food but I was never a big breakfast person when I was a kid as I never got really hungry in the morning. It took years to train myself to fuel properly in the morning and even today, I usually have to be up for awhile and get a workout in before I feel hungry enough to eat. Oddly, I don't have this problem later in the day when I can snack all afternoon whether I'm hungry or not.

As a new school year approaches once more, you might find yourself a little more rushed with breakfast or trying to make sure your kids eat properly before they leave the house. This pancake recipe can help with a busy schedule – it's pretty quick and easy to make if you plan a bit ahead to soak the oats in the buttermilk overnight. Once the soaking period is over, this can be put together in a matter of minutes, almost in the same time it takes to heat your frying pan.

This is also fairly nutritious and pretty filling with the oats. You can make it more hearty by substituting whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour. Cook it slowly over medium to low heat so the inside has time to cook enough before the outside gets too brown. I liked the hint of cinnamon in it and found you don't have to drown this in butter or syrup to enjoy the flavor so that helps save on calories. When you eat them warm from the frying pan, the oats at the edges have a slightly crisp texture while the rest of the pancake is warm and cakey. What I also like about this type of pancake is you can make a batch ahead of time, freeze them and bring them out when you need them. They're not so fragile that they'll fall apart if you do and when you're pressed for time, they'll beat packaged, frozen pancakes any day.

Old-fashioned Oatmeal Pancakes

Makes about 1-1/2 dozen pancakes.

2 cups regular rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup raisins, optional
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine oats and buttermilk; stir until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until next day.

In a bowl, beat eggs lightly and add to oat mixture, along with butter and raisins, if using; stir just until blended. In another bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to oat mixture and stir just until moistened. If batter seems too thick, add more buttermilk (up to 3 tablespoons).

Preheat a griddle or wide frying pan over medium heat; grease lightly. Spoon batter, about 1/3 cup for each cake, onto griddle, and spread out to make circles 4 inches in diameter. Cook until tops are bubbly and appear dry; turn and cook until other sides are browned.

Related post: Margaret's Oatmeal Hotcakes