Pancake Week #4 Bacon Pancakes (Oh, Yes)

Wow. I should have thought of this in college; I definitely could have used it in grad school. Sometimes it takes a subscription to Everyday Food to have the obvious pointed out to me. Bacon and pancakes and syrup - it doesn't get more classic and comforting than that and here they are all together. Genius, right? Thank you, Martha. Thank you.

Now's also a good time to mention my new griddle. For years I've been cooking my pancakes 3 at a time in a stove-top skillet. Which is quaint if you have all the time in the world and only need to make 6 pancakes. It was time to upgrade, and preparing for Pancake Week was the perfect excuse. So in December I got myself a little early Christmas present - the biggest griddle I could find with excellent reviews and a reasonable price tag: the Presto Tilt n' Drain Cool Touch Big Griddle. It's on my Well-Stocked Kitchen List. I love it and obviously have used it a ton - and not just for pancakes but also bacon (both for this recipe!), eggs, and sandwiches. I love the enormous nonstick surface and reliably even heat. And no, they're not paying me to say it. I wish.

Bacon Pancakes (print recipe)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
8 slices bacon
Maple syrup, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 200. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and egg. Whisk flour mixture into buttermilk mixture just until moistened, with small to medium lumps remaining.

2. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet or on a griddle, cook 8 slices bacon over medium-high until fat is rendered and bacon is browned on one side, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook until golden and crisp on underside, 1 to 3 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels; pour off all but 1 tsp fat from skillet.
3. Heat skillet over medium. Pour 1/4-cupfuls batter into skillet and top each with a bacon slice. Cook until some bubbles appear on top of pancakes and a few have burst, about 2 minutes. With a spatula, carefully flip pancakes and cook until browned on underside, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter, bacon side up, and loosely tent with foil. Keep pancakes warm in oven and repeat with remaining batter, addint more bacon fat if needed. Serve with pure maple syrup. Makes 8 pancakesRecipe from Everyday Food, a few months ago