Jessica's Test Kitchen

I've heard that getting a great breakfast makes the rest of the day much better. While trying to figure out what that looks like I came across a recipe for oatmeal pancakes. The original recipe called for white flour and no wheat bran, so I've changed this to kick up the fiber (the long lasting element of whole grains). One of these pancakes keeps me going for at least five hours. Plus, they keep well in the freezer and its great to pop one in the microwave and have something warm and healthy in the mornings.

Please try this recipe and if there are ways you improve it, e-mail me and I'll try it- maybe even post the new version.

Oatmeal Pancakes
2 cups Milk
1 ½ cups Quick-cooking rolled oats
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup Wheat bran
¼ cup Wheat germ
2 Tbs. Brown Sugar
1 Tbs. Baking powder
½ to 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
½ Tsp. Salt
2 Eggs beaten
¼ cup Vegetable oil

1. In a bowl mix milk and rolled oats, let stand 5 minutes (about the amount of time it takes to get everything else ready)
2. In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients: flour, germ, bran and sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. In another, separate bowl, beat eggs and oil.
4. Mix together: milk/oats, dry ingrediants, and beaten eggs/oil.Then add them and the milk/oat mixture (if thick just add a little more milk).
5. Cook 1/2 cup (1 cake) at a time on griddle and/or in frying pan at medium heat flipping the pancake when the surface becomes slightly porous.
6. Lay to cool on a baking sheet and freeze.

Makes about 10 pancakes.

Tips and ideas
*The cakes take about 6 min each to cook so it’s a good idea to have another kitchen task while you’re working on them.
* I keep thinking I need to add some vanilla extract, but I haven't purchased any from the store recently.
*When freezing I stick them in the freezer on a cookie sheet, single layer, for about 30 min to an 1 hour so they can have an initial freeze, quickly remove them and shove them in a plastic freezer bag then back in to the icebox. This way they don’t stick together, and it’s easy to pick only one out the next day for breakfast.
*We generally eat these with vanilla or plan yogurt and honey. Another yummy alternative is bananas and nutella, and other ideas include fresh fruit, cottage cheese, peanut butter, and of course maple syrup.