Honeyed Nectarine Oatmeal Pancakes

Sometimes you need to make delicious food on a rainy Sunday morning, it’s something that makes all gloomy days brighter.  I love these pancakes on any weekend morning, they are nutty and wonderful with a flavor that is only enhanced by the addition of nectarines and a cup of delicious coffee.  I don’t make these often, and usually save them for a special occasion when someone who leans toward gluten-free food is coming to my apartment for brunch, but when I do make them there are very rarely leftovers.

Specifically, I made these pancakes over Easter weekend when BF’s parents were visiting.  His dad was bowled over, I’ve been getting a weekly email for this recipe to be posted since.  There are various reasons this post didn’t go up earlier, bad pictures being the big one but also a lack of oats in my house as a contributing factor.  But, when there were finally oats in my house (again) and time was on my side I made these gems but, of course, I modified them to be better than the ones I had been making.  I added nectarines.  I would have added peaches but when I went to Russo’s the peaches were unripe and hard as rocks, so I grabbed white nectarines which were fragrant and perfectly ripe.
I made these pancakes thinking there would be leftovers for a “later-in-the-day” snack, what a fool I was.  When topped with nectarine infused maple syrup BF couldn’t stop eating them, and I liked them spread with a bit of butter and rolled up like a crepe.  The nuttiness of the oats really enhances the whole pancake, please use the oat flour – you really won’t regret it, the pancakes are still light and fluffy even in their gluten-free state.  Yes, you have to prepare for these pancakes, but it’s totally worth it.  After sitting overnight in buttermilk the oats break apart and offer a tenderness that absorbs the honey making them not to sweet and decadent without actually being decadent.  Make these for a friend, they’ll love you for it.
Honeyed Nectarine Oatmeal Pancakes
Adapted from The Inn at Fordhook Farm via Orangette
Note: I make these pancakes entirely gluten-free by using oat flour and I like them better that way.  I also use honey instead of refined sugar since I feel like it really brings out the flavor in the oatmeal.  I laid thin slices of nectarine on top of these pancakes but next time I make these with a stone fruit I’ll probably just chop the fruit and add it to the batter.
2 cups Buttermilk
2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 cup Oat Flour
2 Tbs Honey
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 large Eggs
1/2 cup Butter, melted and cooled
1 Nectarine, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
The Night Before:
Combine the buttermilk and oats in a medium sized mixing bowl, stir, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
The Next Morning:
Remove the buttermilk and oats from the fridge and set it aside.  In a second bowl whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add the honey, eggs, and melted butter to the oats and buttermilk mixture, mix until fully combined.  Add the dry ingredients to the liquids and stir until fully combined.  Fold in the nectarine pieces.  The batter will be thick.  Warm a skillet/griddle to a medium-high heat and brush/spray it with vegetable oil.  Drop the batter onto the griddle by scant 1/4 cup fulls onto the pan.  Cook the pancakes until bubbles start to form on the edges and the underside is lightly browned.  Flip the pancakes and cook the second side until it is browned.  Repeat, until all the batter is gone.  This makes 12-15 pancakes.  And they are delicious.  Serve the pancakes warm, with real maple syrup (I chopped a second nectarine and added it to my maple syrup, it was amazing).  You will definitely not be sorry for the time these took.  I promise.