Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes

We recently had what I'm going to consider to have been the first day of Spring (with a capital S) because the warm weather wasn't negated by rain, and, well, there was warm weather.

Growing things are starting to creep back up walls, the snow is finally gone, and the light, now that I look back at these photos, looks strangely like fall. So I don't really care what the calendar says, winter is officially over in my book. I will now commence wearing inappropriately light jackets that nave no hope of keeping me warm when the temperature dips again, and I might even try to reintroduce a little color into my wardrobe. I've even shaved my legs in anticipation. Sorry, was that too much information?

Anyway, you can imagine, now that it's spring, the kind of lazy breakfast eaten perhaps outside and lingered over because the weather is just getting so good. Rather than because the weather is so bad there's nothing else to do.

These are not the light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes (although there is buttermilk) that go straight to cloying once syrup is added. At first read-through you might think they're way too much work. Actually, they're no work, but the oats do have to soak for at least 2 hours before you make the batter. Even that requirement is misleading because they can just as easily soak overnight. So no, you don't have to sneak out of bed two hours before breakfast to get them started. Don't make that mistake on a lazy Sunday morning.

It's important that you use regular rolled oats, not the quick-cooking kind, so that they maintain some texture. Bob's Red Mill is a good choice and is the brand I managed to find. It's surprising (well, actually not that surprising) how hard normal rolled oats actually can be to find. Probably for the same reason that my local grocery store stocks 10 different types of brownie mix but no bread flour. But anyway.

These are incredibly delicious and not at all health-food-tasting. And they're filling in a way that doesn't make you want to fall back asleep, necessarily. Although you always could, on what I hope is a beautiful Sunday morning.

Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes
Adopted from April Moon's The Flying Biscuit Cafe Cookbook

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups nonfat or low-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Oil for the griddle

In a medium bowl, soak the oats in the buttermilk overnight (in the refrigerator, obviously). Or for as little as 2 hours.

Remove the oat mixture from the refrigerator and add the eggs and melted butter. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

Heat your griddle or pan over medium-low and add some oil. You want the pan on medium-low because the pancakes have to cook a bit longer than normal ones, so you don't want the outside to burn because of the increased time. Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, spoon the batter into the pan.

Cook the pancakes for about 5 minutes per side, until bubbles appear, and then flip. Serve with butter and real maple syrup.