Breakfast of Champions...

or at least the pancake-crazy.

To this day, I contend that I am one of the most discerning pancake consumers in the world. I have looked high and low, tasted pancakes in many-a state, and tested a recipe box-full of recipes, all in search of the perfect pancake. And funnily enough, when I would end up being served a chewy, heavy specimen, I would be on the verge of personally offended. Nothing is worse that being served and paying for something you can make better at home.

Indeed, I fancied myself spoiled as I grew up with the pancakes of the Dairy Palace, a local favorite in my hometown. The Dairy Palace, I was convinced, had the best pancakes I'd ever tasted. Unfortunately when I was living in my little town, the Dairy Palace, open 24 hours, only served pancakes from midnight to 11am. As I was not much of a morning person, I found myself visiting the DP with my crew of girlfriends after midnight nearly every weekend! Over the years I had become more and more convinced that I would never find a pancake as good as the ones I was served at the Dairy Palace. I tried. Believe me, I tried.

Finally, thanks to Alton Brown, I may have found it. In addition to producing pancakes that are light and fluffy, this recipe is another time-saver: the dry ingredients can be made in bulk and stored for another morning... or, if you're like me, another late-night pancake craving.

Pancake Mix

6 c all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar

I like to spoon all the ingredients in a large zip-top bag or reusable airtight container for storage and shake to combine.

Pancakes for 2

1 c prepared pancake mix
1 c low-fat buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter

Heat the griddle and put some extra butter aside for greasing the pan. Crack the egg in the buttermilk and whisk briskly. Slowly whisk the melted butter into the buttermilk-egg mixture. Next, combine the liquids with the pancake mix in a medium bowl stirring until just incorporated (and I'm sure we all know not to over-stir batters, as it makes the end product tough/chewy).

Once your griddle is cooking, grease it up and drop a 1/3 cup of the mix on. Now's the time to throw on any fresh fruit and/or goodies: blueberries, strawberries, bananas... or chocolate chips, of course. Just drop the extras on top of the uncooked side of the pancake and press lightly with your finger to submerge it in the batter. After 2 minutes or so, flip and in another 1 or 2 minutes, you can move on to the next batch.

As you may be able to see in my picture above, I don't typically put fruit in my pancakes, I just pile it up on the side. And of course ya gotta have a strip of bacon or two... the saltiness of pork just goes so well with maple syrup.

Please to enjoy!