“Pancakes topped with fried egg, yea or nah?” Based on a very inaccurate and subjective IG Story poll, 64% said NAH to topping pancakes with a fried egg. Huh? BUT WHY?!
Is it because we’re all used to pancakes topped with fruit sugar syrup, chocolate, and whipped cream soaking soft, limp pancakes? Don’t get me started on oversized pancakes larger than your plate or the mini pancake cereal trend. No thank you. I have better ideas for how to honor your pancakes, with or without an egg on top but I’m firmly on team #eggonpancakesclub.
I’m elevating this humble brunch favorite with ideas for how to level up your brunch game and think different about your pancakes. Layer the stacks with other breakfast-friendly foods like bacon, corned beef hash, canadian bacon, sausage patty, smoked salmon, hashbrowns, corned beef hash… I’ll stop there, I could go on forever like Bubba talking about shrimp. The key is to mix and match complementary flavors and textures. Sweet and salty. Soft and crunchy.
This Savory Pancake Stack recipe layers pancakes with crispy hashbrowns, maple bacon, and a fried egg. But first, let’s start with PANCAKE BASICS. What makes a good pancake? Crispy edges. Fluffy, light texture. Golden color. Excellent toppings, but not too much. Everything in balance.
FAQs
How to get Pancakes with Crispy Edges
Cook in lots of butter/oil, so the edges are fried and crispy.
Egg Substitute for Pancakes
Eggs in the batter make pancakes fluffy Eggs provide structure to hold the bubbles and allow the pancake to rise. The fat in the yolk also provides richness and flavor. If you're looking for pancake recipe without eggs, good substitutes for egg in pancake batter include baking powder, ground flax seeds, chia, whipped tofu, mayonnaise, or unsweetened applesauce.
How to Avoid Flat, Rubbery Pancakes
Use eggs in your recipe. Don’t overmix the batter, just enough to moisten the ingredients and incorporate the flour.
Milk Substitute for Pancakes
Milk helps give the pancakes better flavor. Sour cream and creme fraiche are GREAT substitutes because of the creaminess and acidity but the flour amount will need to be adjusted. You can substitute with water but it won’t taste as good. Any alternative milk like oat, almond, soy or coconut milk will also work well.
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Get the Recipe
Savory Pancake Breakfast Stack
Craveable savory and sweet pancake stacks interlaced with crispy hashbrowns, maple bacon, and topped with a fried egg that will blow your tastebuds and make you rethink pancake possibilities. A Baking With Chickens Original Recipe.
Makes 1 dozen pancakes, serves 4
Time to Prepare: 50-60 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
6 slices of bacon, cut in half
4 hash brown discs, pancake-sized (frozen pre-shredded hashbrown potatoes)
4 eggs
1 dozen pancakes (see pancake recipe below)
Simply Perfect Pancakes, adapted from King Arthur Flour
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 lemon
For garnish:
Butter (optional: herbed compound butter)
Maple syrup
Hot sauce
Cheese (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cook bacon until crispy, set aside. Save bacon grease.
2. In a large pan, cook hashbrowns until golden brown and extra crispy in butter, oil or some bacon grease. Shape the hashbrowns into four circles, approximately pancake sized. Sprinkle lightly with pepper. Set aside, keep warm in an oven heated to 250 degrees F.
3. Make batter and cook pancakes.
Any pancake recipe will do if you have one you like. My favorite for impossibly light and fluffy pancakes is Edna Mae’s Sour Cream Pancakes by Pioneer Woman. If you are keeping a sourdough starter, Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes by The Clever Carrot is incredible. If you don’t have sour cream or starter, start with the simple pancake recipe below. Baking With Chickens Tip: Add a squeeze of lemon juice to your pancake batter to make the flavor pop! The acid from the lemon gives the pancakes an extra something-something that makes it more craveable.
4. For pancakes, beat the eggs and milk until light and foamy. Stir in the butter.
5. Whisk the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute the salt, baking powder and sugar.
6. Gently and quickly mix into the egg and milk mixture. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Don’t overmix the batter, just until just combined. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes, while the griddle is heating; it'll thicken slightly.
7. Heat a pan over medium heat, or set an electric griddle to 375°F. The pan or griddle is ready if a drop of water will skitter across the surface, evaporating immediately. For crispy edge pancakes: grease frying pan or griddle generously with unsalted butter, vegetable oil, or bacon grease.
8. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the lightly greased griddle. Bake on one side until bubbles begin to form and break, about 2 minutes; then turn the pancakes and cook the other side until brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Turn over only once. Transfer cooked pancakes onto a baking sheet to keep pancakes warm in the oven until ready to stack.
Assemble Your Pancake Stack
9. On a plate, put down one pancake and place a small pat of butter in the center of the pancake. Put a crispy hash brown on top. Put a second pancake on top, place small pat of butter in the center of the pancake. Layer 3 pieces of bacon on top. Drizzle the bacon lightly with maple syrup. Put a third pancake on top of the bacon. Optional: Add cheese on top of the third pancake.
10. Repeat with rest of the ingredients for all four servings. Keep warm in the oven.
11. Heat pan to medium heat. Melt bacon grease in the pan. Fry egg sunny-side up in bacon grease for crispy, lacy edges. Cook until the egg whites are set but the egg yolk is still runny and jiggly. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
12. Place fried egg on top of the pancake stack.
13. Garnish with a splash of hot sauce.
The Pancake Gallery: Other Pancake Stack Ideas
This #eggsonpancakes club excites me so much that I came up with a bazillion more ideas. I’ll share pics and add to this gallery as I get around to making these.
Savory:
Corned Beef Hash, Fried Egg
Sausage Patty, Hash Browns, Fried Egg
Pastrami Cured Salmon, Hash Browns, Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream, Fried Egg
Smoked Salmon, Sliced Tomatoes, Arugula, Fried Egg with Hollandaise Sauce
Benedict Style - Canadian Bacon, Hash Brown, Fried Egg with Hollandaise Sauce
Prosciutto, Burrata, Arugula, Balsamic Glaze, Crushed Honey Roasted Peanuts
Spam Musubi - Pan-Fried Spam in a Soy and Sugar Glaze, Scrambled Egg, Furikake
Sweet:
Thinly Sliced Apples, cut cross-wise, layered with Almond or Peanut Butter
Strawberries, Tahini, Crushed Pistachios or Crushed Halva
“Peanut Butter & Jam” - Almond or Peanut Butter spread layered with Sliced Fresh Fruit, drizzled with Honey, topped with Crushed Honey Roasted Peanuts
Thinly Sliced Peaches, Burrata, Basil, Balsamic Glaze
There are so many possibilities! Be creative and open to trying new combinations. You’ll never know if it works until you try it. What would you make for the #eggsonpancakesclub?
Did you make this?? Tag @bakingwithchickens and hashtag #bakingwithchickens on Instagram.
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