Tag Archives: Breakfast

Ham and Cheese Oven-Puffed Pancake

May 13, 2020

I’ve been wanting to make a savory dutch baby/puff- pancake (or whatever you want to call it!) for a while now and settled on this recipe. And lucked out because the first attempt was amazing! It turned out perfectly cooked, puffy, tender, and so flavorful. I only made one (alongside a blueberry version which I’ll share soon) and we were fighting over it! I stuck with a simple ham and cheese combo but you can try adding veggies- sautéed mushrooms and/or spinach and bell pepper would be great options. Bacon could replace the ham. Feel free to switch up the cheese- just use something strong so the flavor isn’t lost.

Ham and Cheese Oven-Puffed Pancake

INGREDIENTS

3 large eggs
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
heaping 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2/3 cup grated Sharp cheddar cheese (or Gruyere)
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 oz. thinly sliced ham or Canadian bacon, finely diced

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the flour. Gradually add the milk, whisking until the batter is smooth. Stir in the cheese and chives.
  3. Melt the butter in a 10/12-inch cast iron or nonstick ovenproof pan over medium heat (or in the preheating oven). Remove from the heat (or from the oven- careful it will be hot!) and swirl the butter around. Sprinkle the ham evenly around the pan. Pour the batter over the ham, then use a fork to be sure the ham is evenly distributed. Carefully transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes (I used a 12 inch cast iron pan and mine only took 15 minutes). It will appear puffed straight out of the oven, but will quickly collapse. Cut the pancake into thin wedges and serve. (Remember that the pan is hot; I usually place a dishtowel or oven mitt over the handle as a reminder.)
  4. The pancake is best served fresh out of the oven. However, leftover slices can be reheated in the microwave.

Makes 1 large puff pancake, 10-12 inches round.

Adapted from Once Upon a Chef

Whole Wheat Pancake/Waffle Mix

April 1, 2017

These have become our favorite pancakes lately. They’re light and fluffy, despite being 100% whole wheat (I recommend white whole wheat flour) and easy to adapt with whatever fruit/spices/add-ins you want. This recipe calls for making a mix to keep in the pantry which makes them even easier for a weekday breakfast, but you can of course just make a single batch or two at a time. I almost always add the vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon. We love them filled with wild blueberries and/or topped with vanilla Greek yogurt and more fruit- banana, strawberries, etc. One morning I served them with juicy ripe peaches, maple syrup and creme fraiche- oh my goodness, amazing!

Whole Wheat Pancake/Waffle Mix

INGREDIENTS

Pancake/Waffle Mix:
6 cups white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt

Note: makes six servings, for a single batch divide by 6 = 1 cup flour, scant 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/3 tsp. salt

Whole Wheat Pancakes/Waffles:
1 large egg, whisked
1 cup buttermilk (milk or almond milk will also work)
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil (I usually use melted butter or coconut oil)
1 cup pancake mix

optional add-ins:
dash of cinnamon or nutmeg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
fresh or frozen blueberries or other fruit (peaches, bananas, strawberries, blackberries, etc.)
lemon or orange zest
chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Pancake/Waffle Mix:

1. Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

To Make Pancakes/Waffles:

1. Whisk the egg, buttermilk and oil (or butter) and any of the optional add-ins in a large bowl.

2. Whisk in the pancake mix until just combined.

3. Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat and grease with butter or oil.

4. Pour several tablespoonfuls of the pancake mixture onto the griddle (you can top with fruit or chocolate chips at this point if using them), making as many pancakes as will fit and cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles form on top and the bottoms are golden brown.

5. Flip the pancakes and cook for one minute longer and serve.

Note: Mixture can also be used in a waffle iron following manufacturers directions. Pancakes/waffles can be frozen and reheat well in the toaster.

Makes six batches, each batch serves 4.

(Adapted from Weelicious)

Cinnamon Biscuit Fans

June 10, 2015

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My mom made us these delicious cinnamon-sugar biscuits many times when I was a kid. And I had forgotten all about them (for over a decade!) until she mentioned making them recently. So, of course, I requested the recipe and have made them several times since. Think of them as cinnamon rolls (minus the yeast and hours of rise time) in biscuit form. They can be baked from scratch in about a half hour (meanwhile I scramble some eggs, heat some sausage links, you get the idea…). One of my favorite breakfast treats!

I didn’t read the recipe too closely because sometimes I just assume I know what I’m doing. (I often don’t.) And so I added much too much milk, making my glaze too thin. And I didn’t remove the muffins from the tin before drizzling the runny glaze over top. They still tasted great, but next time I’ll follow my own instructions!

Cinnamon Biscuit Fans

INGREDIENTS

Biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cold butter
3/4 cup milk
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tsp. milk
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
pinch cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc. (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 425 F. Grease 8 regular-size muffin cups.

2. In large bowl, mix flour, 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, the baking powder and salt. Cut in firm butter using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until mixture particles resemble fine crumbs. Stir in just enough milk so dough leaves side of bowl and forms a ball.

3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll into 12×10-inch rectangle. Spread 3 Tbsp. butter over rectangle. Mix 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over rectangle. Cut rectangle crosswise into 6 (10×2-inch) strips. Stack strips; cut crosswise into 8 pieces. Place cut sides up in muffin cups.

4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from muffin cups to cooling rack.

5. In medium bowl, mix all glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over warm biscuits. Serve warm.

Makes 8 biscuits.

(Adapted from Betty Crocker)

Sausage, Cheese, and Veggie Egg Bake

April 15, 2015

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I’ve made this versatile breakfast casserole twice now with completely different ingredients and both times it was delicious. The base doesn’t change: eggs, milk, cheese, and veggies. What variety of melty cheese and handful of veggies go in is up to you. You can make it with sausage or ham or no meat at all. I halve the recipe to feed the 3 of us. Leftovers make an amazing breakfast sandwich on a toasted English muffin.

Sausage, Cheese, and Veggie Egg Bake

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. sweet or spicy Italian chicken sausage (or diced ham, etc.)
2 cups mozzarella (or fontina, Cheddar, Montery Jack, etc.), shredded (I used a combo of Swiss and Colby Jack)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup chopped shallots (or green onion)
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)
1 cup diced red bell pepper (or roasted red pepper)
1 1/2 cups chopped veggie (broccoli, spinach, tomato, or zucchini- I used yellow squash)
10 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional, but recommended)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place half of cheese into the baking dish.

2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, cook the sausage over medium heat breaking up as it cooks until browned and cooked through. Set aside.

3. Add the oil to the skillet with the shallots/onion and saute several minutes until tender. Add the mushrooms, peppers, and remaining veggies and saute until vegetables are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Return the sausage, cook 1 minute; mix well and remove from heat. Spread evenly over the cheese mixture.

4. In a large bowl combine the eggs, milk, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and whisk well. Slowly pour over the vegetables in the baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

5. Bake until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand several minutes before slicing.

Serves 8.

(Adapted from Skinnytaste)

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

March 30, 2015

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Light and fluffy 100% whole wheat banana pancakes, made with Greek yogurt and flax if you love flax like I do. The banana is subtle and doesn’t make them dense like typical banana bread. Dustin approved and he doesn’t care for banana- or any fruit-filled- bread. I served them with extra sliced banana and maple syrup. Also yummy with blueberry jam. I rarely calculate the calories for recipes, but since I ate 4? 5? of these guys I was curious. Based on the ingredients I used (see parenthesis below) they’re only 60 (batch of 15) – 75 (batch of 12) calories a piece. That doesn’t account for the butter and syrup but they’re delicious as is and pretty darn good for you too!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

1 and 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour (I replaced 1/6 cup of the flour with ground flaxseed)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large banana)
2 Tbsp. packed dark or light brown sugar
1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used plain nonfat)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg, milk, and banana together. Whisk in the brown sugar and yogurt until no lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla until combined.

2. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in. Stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix the batter or your pancakes will be tough and very dense.

3. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with cooking spray, oil, or butter.  Once very hot, drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. Cook until the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form on the center or sides, about 1 minute. Flip and cook on the other side until cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Coat griddle/skillet again with nonstick spray for each pancake or batch of pancakes.

4. Keep pancakes warm in a preheated 200 F oven until all pancakes are cooked. Serve immediately. Pancakes taste best right after they are made. Pancakes freeze well, up to 2 months.

Makes 12-15 pancakes, depending on size.

(Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction)