Bacon Scented Honey-Whole Wheat Pancakes

(Bacon Scented Honey Whole Wheat Pancakes topped with Sliced Peaches and Honey drizzle)

These pancakes are like golden clouds. That hint of salty-smoky bacon which makes them irresistible right out of the pan also makes them the ultimate freezer pancake. Make this big recipe, freeze them, and reheat them in the toaster for a quick warm breakfast on chilly school days. When we're running late on school mornings, we eat them plain from the toaster on the walk to the bus stop.

I was joking with my sisters that my first cookbook would be copy-cat IHOP pancake recipes. That it would be all of our childhood favorites, like the smiley faced chocolate chip kid's pancake and the silver dollar pancakes. But the truth is, I would love to write a pancake recipe book, but I wouldn't write copy-cat IHOP pancakes. I would write a collection of pancake recipes that bridge childhood cravings for simple sweetness with adult cravings nuanced flavors.

These Honey Whole Wheat pancakes (with or without bacon) are the perfect example of recipe that bridge childhood sweets with adulthood complexity. They have a cheerful honey lightness that brightens whole wheat flour perfectly, a little tang from the buttermilk and a slightly salty, slightly crisp edge from the smidge of bacon grease that they're fried in.

About Freezing Pancakes. I love making these panackes for future mornings. Just allow them to cool on a plate and then line a sheet pan with parchmant paper and freeze the pancakes. Then transfer frozen pancakes to a ziplock bag for long term storage. Reheat pancakes in a toaster (according to your toaster's settings) until cooked through.

ABOUT BACON FAT: Whenever I make bacon, I always pour off the fat and store it in the fridge. It keeps for a very long time. But you don't need bacon fat to make these pancakes. While the tiny bit of frying fat elevates them with that salty unique kick of flavor, we often make them without it. Or if you're serving bacon next to them, I might omit the bacon fat since it would be A LOT of bacon flavor for one meal. But maybe you're into that, in which case, go for it!

---

Bacon Scented Honey-Whole Wheat Pancakes

Takes 10 minutes to make the batter, 10-15 minutes to cook all the pancakes. Makes enough to serve 6-8 people.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons melted butter (plus more for the pan)

• 2 cups good quality buttermilk

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

• 3 tablespoons honey (plus more to serve)

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (230 grams)

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (60 grams)

• 1 teaspoon Diamond Kosher salt

• 1 and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 baking soda

• 1 tablespoon bacon grease (optional)

STEP ONE

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

STEP TWO

Melt your butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Then stir honey in with the butter. The warm butter will help the honey to thin and make sure that you don't get honey clumps in your batter. Set aside.

STEP THREE

In a small mixing bowl whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Add eggs and buttermilk mixture and honey and butter mixture into the dry ingredients and fold to combine.

STEP FOUR

Warm a skillet over medium heat and then grease pan with either a roughly teaspoon of butter or roughly a half a teaspoon of butter and half a teaspoon of bacon grease (depending on the size of your skillet. I use a 12 inch skillet but any size will do). Reduce heat to medium low and add about 1/4 cup of pancake batter to your pan for each pancake. Make sure that each pancake has enough room to spread without touching.

Cook pancakes about 3 minutes for the first side and 1-2 minutes for the second side. You know it's time to flip your pancakes when you see little bubbles around the edges and the bottoms look lightly browned.

Enjoy right away or keep warm in an oven set to warm. Serve with butter and honey or maple syrup.

Messy Kitchens

My messy kitchens is the heart of my home, and maybe we have that in common?

Me in my parents' kitchen, 1982

The Internet says my kitchen is dirty and my knickknacks and clutter are gauche signs of failure. It tells me that my kitchen is something to be concealed, and tries to sell me a second (scullery) kitchen to conceal any actual kitchen stuff (photo below)! But even if I “updated” my kitchen to that stark white-on-white-on-chrome HGTV kitchen, there was no way I could use that kitchen for more than a day and have it look like the ones on tv.

I do love it when my kitchen is so clean that it feels like a fresh box of crayons; however, messy is the default state of my kitchen. Within minutes of cleaning my kitchen, there are stacks of lunch boxes, opened cookbooks, butter softening, beans soaking, scattered coffee grounds, pet toys, kid toys, herbs in water, and cereal boxes waiting to be put away. My messy kitchen is the mis en place of full lives: everything is ready to hand, ready to be picked up and used as the day unfolds. Home kitchens are where 8^th graders do algebra, where toddlers shape play dough, and where dishes are washed, They are where cookies are baked, tears are dried, pets play, and where people eat, socialize, and live.

I adore photos of messy kitchens. They energize me. When I see someone’s messy kitchen, I am dropped into their bustling lives. I can see the (dis)organization of lived reality reflected back at me. I can see the beating heart of humanity. Fuck those who try and tell us our kitchens are embarrassing. Messy kitchens are beautiful and give me hope for a common future.

I’ll show you my kitchen if you show me yours?

Famous Copy Cat Rochester Salty Bread

This bread is a Rochester staple. It's so addictive that people here call it "Crack Bread." It's kinda like focaccia, except maybe a tiny bit like a savory fried dough, except, not really like either of those. It has a crust that shatters when you bite into it, giant air bubbles and a the softest pillowy texture. It's perfect as a base for your favorite dips, a side for burrata-caprase salad, or just tearing off warm salty hunks as you stand in the kitchen waiting for the rest of dinner to be ready.

When we first moved to Rochester all I knew about the local food scene was that there was Rieslings, lots of beautiful small farms, and garbage plates. I now know about Hot Whites and Chicken French, which are both delicious, but my favorite local delicacy has to be the Salty Bread.

Rochester Salty bread is sold at some of the best Rochester area bakeries under different names and comes with a more than a little drama. As a result, you cannot find the recipe for Salty bread, Salt Bread, Salty Bianca Loaf, Crack bread, or whatever you want to call it, anywhere! I've done some deep Reddit digging and the recipe is no where. There were rumors that the original bread might be a super hydrated bread (over 100%). Some thought that maayyyybe Salty Bread was ciabatta bread, but I had a different idea. (Ciabatta isn't as hydrated as I think Salty Bread has to be to get that ultra soft texture).

I'll tell you what I did, I based my Copy Cat Salty Roc bread on King Arthur Flour's recipe for Pan de Cristal . Pan de Cristal is a spanish bread that is equal parts water and bread flour. I then treated the pan de cristal almost like a focaccia, and I have to tell you, the results were dancing in the kitchen good. If this is not how Rochester Salty bread is made, maybe the professionals should switch their recipe. You have to make this bread. You have to. It's going to change your life.

Note about Flour

I used King Arthur bread flour for this recipe. I do not know how well this recipe will work with all purpose flour, but given the high hydration ratio, I would not risk it.

Note about Rosemary

Updated Fall 2025: I’ve been experimenting with different versions of Salty Bread. So far, my favorite addition is fresh rosemary. I add about 1/2 Tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary in with the rest of the ingredients and then sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of coarsely chopped rosemary on top of the bread with the flake sea salt.

Note about Keeping Track of Rises

With 5 different kneads or "folds" it can be tricky to remember where you are in this recipe. I have found that the best thing to do is get an old envelope and make a little "cheat she

et" like the one in the photo. Just make a little check list and mark off each time you handle the dough.

NOTE ABOUT BAKING TIMES AND TEMPS: I do not have a pizza stone. Or i do.... but it's a long story. I used an upside-down cast iron pan as my pizza stone. I did notice a difference when I used the pan vs just putting the bread on the oven rack. I think a pizza stone would work as well, if not better than an upside down cast iron pan. Please pay attention to how brown your bread gets. It should be a dark golden color. That's really the best way to evaluate donness.

NOTE ABOUT SALT: You must use a flake salt to finish this bread. You can use between 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of flaked sea salt per loaf. 1/2 teaspoon will make a loaf that closely resembles the standard Rochester Salty Bread.

---

Salty ROC Bread

Takes 5-6 hours: 1.5 hours active time. Equipment: mixing bowl, 8x8 or 9x9 square pan, two sheet pans, parchment paper. OPTIONAL but recommended cast iron pan or pizza stone, scale. Time 5-10 hours. bake time 18-25 minutes. This makes two smaller loaves. enough to serve 6-8 people. It doubles easily. I always double it and give some away.

Ingredients

250g bread flour (2 cups plus 1 tablespoon)

250g warm water (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon)

1/4 heaped teaspoon instant yeast

1 and 1/2 teaspoons Diamond brand kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)

about 1/2 cup olive oil

2-3 tablespoons semolina flour, optional

1/2-3/4 teaspoon flaked sea salt (I use Maldon)

STEP ONE

Get a scrap of paper and write out your version of the time table (see photo above).

Oil a 9x9 or similar sized pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine water, flour, yeast and kosher or table salt. Use a stiff spatula to mix until evenly combined. Pour dough into your oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and set to rest for 20 minutes.

STEP TWO

Pour a few teaspoons of olive oil over your fingers and then fold your dough like you're folding the sides of a tart up towards the center of your dough ball (like a "gordito crunch wrap."). You're going to do about 10 folds. The dough may seem too goopy to work with for the first few folds, but you should actually feel it tightening up/resisting a bit as you reach 10 folds. Re-cover the dough with the plastic wrap. Allow dough to rest for 20 minutes.

STEP THREE

Uncover your dough and rub a few teaspoons of olive oil on your hands. Don't remove your dough from the pan. Do 4-6 half folds: Fold dough in half, rotate your dish 90 degrees, fold in half, rotate, etcetera. You should feel your dough taking on shape and stiffening up. It's like you're folding a piece of paper and it gets harder to fold it with each consecutive fold. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.

STEP FOUR

Uncover your dough rub olive oil on your hands, fold dough in the pan, again. You're going to do 4-6 half folds just like you did last time. And, again, you'll feel the dough taking on shape and stiffening up. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.

STEP FIVE

Oil hands and repeat the process again, folding dough in the pan 2-4 times. This time you should really notice it resisting and tightening. Cover and let rest 80-90 minutes. After 80-90 minutes, dough will be bubbly looking and should fill your pan.

STEP SIX

Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper and spread them out on your counter. Use olive oil to lightly oil each parchment paper and then, optional: dust one with about 1-2 tablespoon of semonlina flour. Set the one with the flour and oil onto a baking sheet and set aside. Gently pour the dough out of your square pan and onto the first piece of oiled parchment paper. Then, use a lightly oiled bench scraper or large knife to cut your dough into two equal length pieces. Gently lift each slab of dough onto each of the parchment lined baking sheet. Allow dough to rise, uncovered for about 2 hours. (In the photo below I was making a double recipe).

STEP SEVEN

After dough has risen for about 1.5 hours put your pizza stone, or clean, upside down cast iron skillet on a rack in the middle of your oven (see note above). Preheat oven to 440 degrees or 420 convection. The goal is to allow your stone or cast iron skillet to heat through.

STEP EIGHT

When your oven and stone/skillet are preheated, measure out about 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil and using a silicone brush or pastry brush gently brush olive oil over top of your loaves of dough. You don't want extra oil that might run down the sides of your loaf and burn. Sprinkle 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of flaked sea salt over top of each loaf and slide bake on top of your pizza stone/cast iron pan for 17-20 minutes. After about 12 minutes rotate your pan and check to make sure the oil isn't smoking (if it is, turn the oven down 20 degrees). Continue baking until the loaves are deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven and, with a clean brush, immediately dab each loaf with another tablespoon of olive oil. You don't want to displace the salt, but you want to boost the olive oil flavor.

Allow loaves to cool before eating. We love to use it for appetizers, as a table bread, for sandwiches, or just rip hunks off and eat it on the go. Store wrapped in parchment paper, or an unsealed plastic bag so that the salt doesn't make the bread wet. Salty ROC Bread is best the day of, but reheats well in the oven at about 400 degrees and fantastic reheated on the grill.