Amish Recipe Pancakes

(Updated for modern kitchens.)

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup white flour

1-1/2 cups unbleached whole wheat flour

3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

3-1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2-1/2 to 3-1/2 cups milk

In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

Add the eggs and vegetable oil and stir until much of the dry ingredients are moistened.

Add the milk, a little at a time, until the dough has a gravy-like consistency. It is okay if it is slightly lumpy. The thinner the dough, the thinner the pancake — and vice versa.

Lightly grease a hot frying pan or griddle, medium to medium-high heat.

Spoon or pour pancake dough onto the hot surface until it looks like the resulting pancake will be about the right size. If uncertain, start with a third cup of pancake dough for one pancake.

When the bubbles on top of the pancake pop and don't close, use a spatula and turn the pancake over. (The amount of time before turning the pancake over can vary from a minute to three minutes, depending on the amount of heat and the thickness of the batter.) Do the second side until browned, which will be about the same amount of time as you did the first.

Put the pancake on a plate. Add toppings as you prefer and enjoy an Amish recipe pancake you made yourself.

Yields 16-18 pancakes at 1/3 cup of batter for each, the count depending on thickness of the batter.

Note: The pancake batter gets thicker as it sits. Stir in more milk if it gets too thick. More milk, of course, will raise the yield.