Crispy Bacon Pancakes – My New Craving

By Lori Powell

I love a leisurely breakfast on the weekends and my favorite is Saturday brunch. After working all week, it’s such a luxurious treat to stay in bed one hour longer and to lounge around in my PJs after that.

I have to admit I am not such a big breakfast eater during the week and most days, I have a homemade juice of whatever fruits and veggies are in the fridge and/or a hard-boiled egg. However on the weekend, my idea of a good, balanced breakfast is a hit of sweet and savory.

For the savory, I love eggs cooked with some butter in a skillet, and since I have my own chickens, that’s a no-brainer. The eggs are not just yummy, but are beautiful to look at as well. Stick a fork in them and the eggs reveal brilliant orange yolks that have a natural, built-in butter flavor.

For more of the savory, my new craving is crispy bacon pancakes. And for the sweet part, I drizzle rich, organic, dark amber maple syrup over them. When I first moved to Pennsylvania, I stayed at a lovely Inn that served these delicious crispy bacon pancakes and I have thought about them ever since.

Here is my interpretation of the pancakes and I do hope you will love them as much as I do. Do not hesitate to cook extra bacon to serve on the side. I love Applegate Farms Organic Bacon. To round out the plate and for more color, I added rosemary oven-roasted tomatoes which are both sweet and savory. So if you like ketchup with eggs these are the perfect compliment. Also tomato chutney or jam would be super-delicious as well.

I like using half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat because the whole wheat gives a nice nuttiness to the batter. Also, organic maple sugar is my sugar of choice but you could use regular as a substitute. Do not skimp on great organic maple syrup. My preference is the dark amber kind.

I hope this inspires you for your next weekend brunch.

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Crispy Bacon Sour Cream Pancakes
Serves 4

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
6 slices cooked crisp bacon, crumbled
1 tablespoon maple sugar or light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
½ cup sour cream
½ cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for cooking
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple syrup for drizzling

Whisk together flours, half of the bacon, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Whisk together sour cream, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons of the butter and vanilla extract. Whisk into flour mixture, whisking just until just mixed.

Brush a seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle with additional melted butter and heat over medium heat until hot. In batches spoon about 3 tablespoons (scant ¼ cup) of batter per pancake into skillet and cook until bubbles begin to form on top and undersides are golden brown. Sprinkle tops evenly with remaining bacon, dividing among pancakes, and flip. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on underside, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a sheet pan as cooked and keep warm in a low oven. Brush skillet with more butter between batches.

Serve pancakes sandwiched with scrambled eggs if desired and drizzled with maple syrup.

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