Amy's Favorite Pancakes -- Oat Flour & Oat Bran Pancakes

"Write that one down!" exclaimed Christopher, my official pancake taste-tester. I'm always improvising w/the Saturday morning pancake ritual and hit on this success back in the fall (...as the ghosts will attest, I'm a bit behind on my blogging). Of course, you know you can free-form just about any shape on the pancake griddle. Clover-leaves anyone? (It's March, after all!) Have fun and enjoy the delicious results.

1 1/2 - 2 cups buttermilk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
3 Tablespoons sucanat (or brown sugar)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt (fine grained)

Pour 1 1/2 cups buttermilk into bowl, or if you have a large enough measuring cup, use it as the bowl and proceed. Add eggs, melted butter (I pop a little bowl into the microwave for about 25 seconds) and sucanat (or sugar), mix thoroughly with whisk to blend.

In separate bowl, combine flours, oat bran, leavenings and salt. (You can make this w/o the baking powder, but I like the added loft it brings.)

Add buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix to blend with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Do not overmix or you will develop too much gluten and the pancakes will be chewy -- not a good thing.

Add as much of the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk to achieve the consistency you prefer.

Ladle small amounts (like 2 Tablespoons per pancake) onto your pancake griddle and cook until small bubbles form on the top of the pancakes and the undersides are light brown. Flip and cook a couple more minutes until that side is nicely brown too. Serve up onto warm plates with a little butter and pure maple syrup (and bacon, if you wish!)

Enjoy!
(Serves 4 generously. Save any leftovers -- they are great warmed up in the toaster on another day.)