Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes are my favorite weekend breakfast. They take a bit of time to put together, sure, but it's so satisfying to dig into that delicious mound of carbs and sweet syrup, knowing that you don't need to rush off to school or work.  

Pancakes take me back to when I was a kid. Growing up, my mom and I would make them together on Saturday mornings whenever we felt inspired; Aunt Jemima was our favorite mix and "syrup" back then. I remember feeling so proud when I finally mastered the art of pancake flipping, knowing exactly when they were ready to turn. I loved how easily they unstuck from her cast iron skillet, and it was one of the few cooking tasks my mother would let me take charge of. These days I don't make pancakes too often, but when I do I always remember being a kid, my mom letting me serve her food for a change. 

Here's a heartier pancake recipe than the one I used to keep as an instant mix, for when you want to feel like you're doing something good for yourself even while you indulge. 

Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

Adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman on the New York Times

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries


*If you don't have buttermilk, you can use this easy substitute: Add 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk you use. Let sit for 5 minutes. Et voila -- buttermilk!



Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine milk and rolled oats and set aside.
2. Using a sieve, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla extract and oil.
4. Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and whisk together, being careful not to overbeat (it's OK to have a few lumps).
5. Fold in the milk & oats. The original recipe suggests letting this sit for an hour or to refrigerate overnight. I just waited 15 minutes and had excellent results.
6. Since investing in a cast iron skillet I find I don't really need much oil to keep my pan nonstick, but feel free to spray your griddle with some cooking spray. Next, drop 1/4 cup of batter into your pan at a time, adding as many blueberries as you like (try not to overload it, though, otherwise they'll get heavy and hard to flip successfully. 5-6 is a safe bet.).
7. Cook until large bubble break through the top, approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for about a minute more, until golden brown.
8. Serve warm with maple syrup, butter, or, as my mom likes them best, a slice of American cheese :) 


Tips: 
A. To make sure your pancakes stay warm as you keep cooking, you can either turn the oven light on and store your cooked pancakes in the oven, or you can lightly cover your cooked stack with some foil, just to keep the heat in.
B. After you make a batch, freeze in ziplocks in packs of three. Then you can thaw them in the microwave for a pancake breakfast during the week!