One of the best decisions we have made, about entertainment, is to get rid of DISH, and switch to using an Amazon Firestick. Besides Prime, there are a slew of streaming options that are free for watching like Tubi and Plex. Oh sure, you have to watch some ads, or pay for the privilege of ad-free (we do not), but they are mainly for products sold on Amazon. Favorites can be added to lists, and watched any day, any time, at our convenience.
While watching old episodes of “Man vs. Food”, on Prime, Adam Richman was at The Buff Restaurant of Boulder, Colorado. One of their specialty items was a breakfast called "Saddlebag Pancakes". Two giant pancakes, one with sausage, one with bacon; big deal you say? The meat was inside the pancakes, not on the side; every forkful was a mixture of meat and pancake without having to root around on the plate.
Not being able to travel to Boulder to try the place out, it was inevitable that I would try to create this dish. The first thing was to decide what type of pancake to use, so I let my hubby choose and he wanted honey wheat. While the restaurant braised their eggs, I did a simple over easy which is Roy’s favorite egg style. Oh, what is braising? The eggs are roasted and steamed, over low heat, using oil and another liquid, such as broth or a flavored sauce. Back to eggs over easy. When mixed with maple syrup, the runny egg yolks helped to create this rich, indulgent syrup for the meaty infused pancakes.
Saddlebag Pancakes with Eggs Over Easy.
Thick cut bacon was fried up till just crisp; a little remaining fat was needed for when it was cooking up in the pancake batter. It would also crumble up into small pieces if too crisp, and bite sized pieces were required for this dish. The sausages, however, were not the typical breakfast links you find in the supermarket. Instead, I used an all pork, fresh sausage without the additional seasonings you would find in breakfast sausage. We love this type as it cooks up in the pan bubbling, squeaking and hopping around; the flavor is awesome and fun to watch, and listen to, cooking. Reminded me so much of making the English dish "Bubble and Squeak", but that is for another article in the future. An angle cut for the sausages gave more surface texture inside the pancakes. For the six-inch pancakes, three strips of bacon or three sausage links were used; but if you want both meats in your pancakes, then I would suggest just using two of each.
Fresh Pork Sausages without Seasonings.
So, let’s get started, first here is my recipe for Honey Wheat Pancakes and then the construction of the actual Saddlebags.
Honey Wheat Pancakes
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 and ½ cups old fashioned oatmeal (ground to flour or use oat flour)
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
2 and ½ cups buttermilk
2 tsp. canola oil
1 egg
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp. honey
Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients; slowly add to dry ingredient bowl, mixing together as added. Do not over mix batter; let rest 10 minutes while griddle (stove top or electric) heats up.
Lightly oil griddle before each batch if using nonstick appliance. Use a regular ladle (1 and ½ ladles per pancake) to portion out batter; using bottom of ladle to smooth out batter to a 6-inch circle. Each pancake will take 2-4 minutes per side depending on type of griddle used.
Makes 8 pancakes.
To Make Saddlebag Pancakes:
It was that easy; now have your eggs going at the same time, so everything will be piping hot. Maple syrup goes best with these beauties, and eat enough of these saddlebags, your hips will develop their own.
Honey wheat pancakes not
to your liking? Buttermilk pancakes work
just as well, and here is a recipe for that.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 and ¼ cups flour
1 egg
1and ¼ cups buttermilk
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ cup canola oil
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
Preparation:
Preheat electric griddle, or stovetop griddle, to 300F.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, except butter, and do not over mix. Melt the butter on the hot griddle; use a ladle to pour batter onto the griddle, forming 6-inch circles.
As the batter cooks, bubbles will appear and when the edges seem firm; flip over and cook other side. Both sides will take 2-4 minutes each; and be golden brown. Serve with favorite toppings or syrups.
Makes 6-8 pancakes.
Mary Cokenour
