Immensely Pleasing Immeasured Pancakes

Before January, I had never made pancakes completely on my own. When I was a child, my father would make them for my mother and I, out of some sort of pancake mix or other. He'd make me shapes - dinosaurs, cats...the last one was a tiger - and I always remember being excited, but I don't remember what they tasted like. It's been a while since that happened.

Pancakes returned to my life last spring, with one of my favorite people. She was going through a massive breakfast food phase, and we'd eat pancakes and bacon and strawberries for half our meals and curry for the other half. None of this box pancake business either: this woman is serious about her food, and at that time her pancakes were filled with cinnamon and rich moistness and love. It was glorious. Then I moved to Boston and left her two thousand miles away, and wondered when I'd ever get to eat her amazing pancakes again.

Well, I got impatient. Before I sat down and made pancakes with her again, I had to try my hand at them myself. I went online looking for pancake recipes, but nothing tickled my fancy and I gave up, throwing my hands in the air and shouting, "Aw, screw this wretched search! I'll make them myself!" And I did.

I never measure things. I probably should. So I'll give you what I do and approximate quantities as well. But mostly, if you're comfortable with cooking, add how much you like of each thing, and experiment with it. Make something you're happy with. That's what pancakes are for - happiness.

Kate's Immensely Pleasing Immeasured Pancakes

Combine in a bowl:
2 or 3 handfuls of whole wheat flour (about 1/2 c)
2-3 handfuls instant oatmeal (about 1/2 c)
1 handful rolled oats (1/8 c)
A goodly amount of brown sugar (somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 - depends on how sugary you like your pancakes)
A pinch of salt, or two (1/4 teaspoon)
Enough cinnamon (between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon)
A small spoonful of baking powder (1 1/2 teaspoons)

Stir these things together until lovely and incorporated. Add a lot of water, until it's soupy and runny and lumpy with oatmeal. Stir to break up lumps, and set aside while you're preheating a large pan on the stove. Add some butter to the pan. I don't usually use too much - sometimes I forget altogether and they're fine. Then cook pancakes at medium heat until they set on the side you can see, and then flip them. Precaution: the first panfull you cook, only make one, and make it in the middle. This is your test pancake - tells you if your pan is too hot, or whatever. After that, go wild. If your batter is too thick, add more water. If your batter is too thin, add more flour. These are fairly forgiving.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling fancy, I'll add banana, or chocolate, or walnuts/pecans, or maybe add some milk instead of water, whatever. These are really easy to mess around with and you really can't go wrong with cinnamon and sugar. I've made these many times, and only once perfectly: at my dad's house a month ago, on a griddle he'd never used before and I don't think has used since. I have huge stove envy of that man.

If you do try these, tell me how they turn out. And I'd love to hear about modifications you make!

Kate