Summer Break is NEVER Long Enough! {Recipe: Bryce's Back-to-School Pancakes}

Wow! Summer break is already over. Now that the kids are back in school, I can post on a regular basis.

Every summer we have a list of things we think we can accomplish, and every summer these lists never get done. But we did accomplish having a great summer! We spent time at the beach, hung out at a few art museums, took a road trip from southern California to northern Oregon, spent a week in Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare Festival on the way back, then ended the summer with a Piano Guys concert at The Greek Theatre in L.A. Whew! I guess we did keep busy.

Each of the kids had intended on writing a few posts this summer on their favorite recipes, but, as mentioned above, we were busy. So it looks like it is up to me to write the posts and they will continue to be my editorial team. I always have one of them read over the posts before publishing.

Bryce made these pancakes for the first Sunday after back to school week.  He made lots of them so we can freeze them and heat them up for during the week. There is a lot of yogurt in them, so they have more substance to them than regular pancakes.

Bryce's Back-to-School Pancakes:

These are pretty substantial pancakes; they will certainly stave off hunger until lunchtime. This recipe is intentionally large so we have leftovers. We usually make them on a Sunday and freeze the leftovers so we can enjoy them through the week. This recipe can easily be halved to make a smaller batch. 

In a medium mixing bowl stir together, then set aside:

4 cups of whole milk yogurt (32 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking soda

In a large mixing bowl whisk together:

4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together:

4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup water 

Optional add ins: fresh blueberries, chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans and bananas

Stir the egg mixture in with the yogurt mixture. Then pour this mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened and combined. It is important not to over stir pancakes. If the pancake batter gets overworked, the pancakes will be tough. 

Spray griddle with cooking spray or coat with a thin layer of oil, then heat on medium heat until the griddle is nice and hot. Using a 1/4 scoop or ice cream scoop, scoop and pour batter onto the hot griddle.* At this point, you can sprinkle the pancakes with optional ingredients. Fresh blueberries is my favorite add in, chocolate chips is Lili's. Bryce liked the pancakes best without any add ins. 

Turn the pancakes over when bubbles form on top; cook until the second side is golden brown. 

To freeze the pancakes: Place the cooked and cooled pancakes in a single layer on some baking sheets lined with parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking.  Freeze the pancakes util thoroughly frozen (several hours or overnight), then transfer the pancakes into large zip-lock freezer bags. Pancakes can be frozen for up to 2 months. To re-heat, place the pancakes onto a microwave-safe plate and heat on high until heated trough. The cooking time will vary depending on how many are being heated; start with 15 seconds for one pancake, 40 seconds for 3. If microwaving 2 or 3 pancakes, rotating them half way through the heating time will assure even heating. 

We get about 32 pancakes from this recipe.

*Note: This batter is very thick. After scooping the batter onto the griddle, they may need to be spread out a bit with a metal icing spatula or the back of the scoop to get desired thickness. Also, if preferred, more water or milk can be added to the pancake batter to thin it out. 

Here is to happy school days!