oatmeal pancakes

this morning we made our first farmer's market visit of the season, and though it's still a bit of a circus, the market remains one of my favorite places in portland--even on cool, drizzly days. we loaded up on asparagus, strawberries, basil, fennel, artichokes, cheese; i've got big plans for fresh strawberry tarts, ginger basil gimlets, artichoke salads with candied lemon. right now, summer feels like enjoying every second of every bike ride, and a sudden fierce craving to have a beer with dinner every night.

this week i got to attend two days of cooking classes with the illustrious robert reynolds. aside from being a terrific teacher, robert is a marvelous human being--but the classes also served as a reminder of how important it is to be able to cook simply. fittingly, for the past few months i've been finding myself reaching for well-loved, straightforward recipes, the kinds of things that my hands know how to make without having to consult instructions. roasted shrimp with broccoli, coconut ginger granola, parmesan crusted tofu, carrot and jicama salad, ginger plum galette. the kinds of recipes you keep close to your heart.

these pancakes are destined to become one of those well-worn recipes. i know because i've made them three times in the past month alone. they come to us from whole-grain wizard kim boyce, she of my favorite rosemary olive oil cake and sweet potato date muffins. you whirr some oats in a food processor (or a blender, if times are desperate) to make your own oat flour (i believe bob's red mill makes this also, if you're looking for it in a grocery store). alongside a cup of cooked oatmeal, oat flour forms the backbone to a thick, barely sweetened pancake batter. but it fries up to so much more than the sum of its parts: startlingly crispy around the edges but meltingly tender in the middle, nibbly with oats and their low, earthy sweetness.

they're ideal for a lazy saturday morning, but if you'd like to expedite it, grind up bigger batches of oat flour to have on hand at a moment's notice and keep a pot of cooked oatmeal in the fridge. also note that although the batter is best if using immediately, it can sit for up to 1 hour on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator. when you return to the batter, it will be very thick and should be thinned, one tablespoon at a time, with milk. take care not to overmix.

oatmeal pancakes
adapted from good to the grain via smitten kitchen
makes about 18 pancakes

• 3/4 cup oat flour (you can make this by pulsing rolled oats into a food processor or spice grinder until finely ground; 1 cup of oats yielded 3/4 cup oat flour for me)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher or coarse salt
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus extra for the pan)
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup cooked oatmeal*
• 1 tbsp unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses or 1 tbsp honey
• 2 large eggs

whisk the dry ingredients (oat flour, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) together in a large bowl. in a smaller bowl, whisk the butter, milk, cooked oatmeal, honey and eggs together until thoroughly combined. gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. using a light hand is important for tender pancakes; the batter should be slightly thick with a holey surface.

heat a 10" cast-iron or non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat until water sizzles when splashed onto the pan. rub the pan generously with butter; boyce says this is the key to crisp, buttery edges. working quickly, dollop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the pan, 2 or 3 at a time. once bubbles have begun to form on the top side of the pancake, flip the pancake and cook until the bottom is dark golden-brown, about 5 minutes total. wipe the pan with a cloth before griddling the next pancake. continue with the rest of the batter. serve the pancakes hot, straight from the skillet or keep them warm in a low oven. i liked them best with nothing but good maple syrup, to let the oats really do their oat thing, but a slap of butter or some fresh strawberries are never a bad idea.

*make oatmeal, if you don’t have any leftover: bring 2 cups of water, 1 cup of rolled oats and a big pinch of salt to a boil and simmer on low for 5 minutes. let cool. you’ll have some extra oatmeal, which you can eat while you’re cooking.