If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then New Year’s Day breakfast is the most important meal of the year, right? I had been debating what to make for about two weeks. Scones? Muffins? Quiche? Then all became clear when I was getting my teeth cleaned on Friday. Charlie, my hygienist, was talking about some great oatmeal pancakes he had years and years ago at a restaurant that may or may not still exist in my hometown of Eugene, Oregon. Yes…I would make oatmeal pancakes.
I arose at a semi-decent hour this morning and started perusing my cookbook collection. I found plenty of great-looking oatmeal pancake recipes that called for cooked oatmeal, but come on…I’d had a bit too much wine and Prosecco last night. I needed my recipe to be simple.
A quick Google search located exactly the recipe I needed on Epicurious (the recipe was from the now defunct Gourmet magazine…sigh). It started with oats soaked in buttermilk for 10 minutes, in which time I was able to easily measure and mix the rest of the ingredients.
I added some blueberries to each pancake, in a homage to my childhood family tradition of having blueberry muffins for New Year’s Day breakfast. They were from a box mix, but I happily devoured them as I watched the Rose Parade.
Instead of maple syrup, which I’m out of, we topped our tasty cakes with blueberry compote, also known as a batch of blueberry jam that didn’t set right. See, when life hands you runny jam, make pancake topping!

Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes
Makes 12 pancakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
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 brown sugar

  1. Soak oats in 3/4 cup buttermilk 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Stir egg, butter, brown sugar, remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just combined.
  4. Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with oil. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden-brown, about 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 minute more. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)
I hope 2012 is treating everyone well so far. I’m off to enjoy the posole that I’ve been cooking all day. I’m pretty confident that it will be delicious, so I’ll share the recipe tomorrow!