I love a decadent, lingering weekend breakfast.
I also love a long, luxurious weekend bike ride. Or backcountry mission. Or day spent exploring the mountains. And, I have a toddler….which – for those unfamiliar – means that time is precious because everything takes a little bit longer than you think. This is not a complaint! It’s just a fact.
And that means that – quite honestly – decadent, lingering weekend breakfasts are a pipedream. Practically impossible to plug into the puzzle of life.
But well-planned, decadent breakfasts that come together quickly and power our full days? THESE, I crush on the regular. And these easy to digest, low-lift, power packed Overnight Pancakes fit right into the plan.
If you’re the kind of person who skips breakfast all together, or grabs a “superfood smoothie” before you head out the door (like all the wellness influencers I see on Instagram,) OR you figure you’ll just grab a breakfast burrito on your way out of town…hear me out.
If you’re really going out to move your body as powerfully as possible, then return home to live a full life and have a healthy functioning digestive system, hormone balance and metabolism you can’t just drink a superfood smoothie and get after it. I don’t care who you are. This is not enough to nourish a modern, active life.
And, before you grab that delicious gut-bomb of a breakfast burrito, know this: the chances are very good that you’re not going to digest that breakfast burrito very well. Because it’s a whole mess of hard to digest foods, and you’re eating it on the go. Apologies for getting graphic, but the gas and messy bowels you experience after eating it are evidence that this is the case. Not an accident. Not just “a part of the deal.” This is poor nutrition, and poor absorption in the making.
A great question! What’s the difference between a pancake batter that was made in the morning, and one that’s soaked overnight? A few things.
First, flavor. The flavors all deepend and develop when you overnight your batter.
But, secondly, and more importantly, an overnight pancake batter is one that will be INCREDIBLY more digestible than one that you made morning of. Let us not forget that we are NOT WHAT WE EAT! We are what we DIGEST! Allowing the grains and seeds swirled into this mix to soak overnight means that they’re made bioavailable for you, so you actually digest them easily, absorb them completely and get to use them to power your day.
And, thirdly, no matter how few pancakes I’m making, the whole production of making my own batter (which is absolutely the way to go over using a store-bought one because fillers, non-food ingredients and low-quality flours) takes quite a lot of effort on mornings we’re heading out the door or trying to activate our toddler.
Soaking your pancake batter overnight is a breakfast hack that all adventurous folx serious about fueling well, feeling good and performing at their peak need. You’re welcome!
Can be as decadent or simple as you wish them to be. We love these pancakes in our house because they’re hearty, wholesome and packed with protein and good stuff our bodies need to fuel until lunch. I love them for Leo because he gets whole grains, digestible seeds and a host of other superfoods. We served them up for breakfast on Christmas morning – a morning when I would love to have a decadent breakfast but would actually far prefer having my hands full helping my kid explore his stocking. The pancakes were ready to mix up and cook in moments, and we were eating breakfast before the sun (even without a pre-dawn wake up.)
There are lots of pancake recipes out there, and these are not the fluffy, practically empty calories that we all fantasize about from diners of lore. These pancakes are eat-it-like-you-mean-it because you are probably getting-after-it-like-you-mean-it too. The batter is more dense and thick than other pancakes, and so it’s important to follow the guidance below to cook them properly without burning. The recipe notes also contain some suggestions for how to make them your own and mix them up for gluten-free and vegan sensibilities.
Add this one to your quick-meal arsenal!
That's ok, just sign up or log in to see this recipe.