Yield: 8 pancakes

If you love starting your day with bran muffins or raisin-bran cereal–and I bet even if you don’t–you will be crazy for my take on these breakfast standards that is anything but. I cook up a full cup of bran buds inside pancakes that are whole grain- and fiber-filled, but won’t weigh you down. The raisins come into play in the warm syrup that I bathe them in. Don’t ask me why Scotch whiskey, golden raisins and pecans taste so good together, but they do and I’m just going with it. I hope you will too.

1/2 cup self-rising flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bran buds (located in the cereal aisle of grocery stores)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsweetened soy milk (plain or vanilla soy milk would also be good–regular or lite)
optional: 1 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
Vegan butter and/or vegetable oil for frying
Vegan Scotch-Raisin Pecan Maple Syrup (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to warm. In a medium mixing bowl, place first 6 ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in soy milk. Stir together with a fork until well combined. For added richness, if desired, melt 1 tablespoon vegan butter in a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and stir into pancake batter. In the same skillet, melt 1 additional tablespoon of the vegan butter, the oil or a combination. (I like a combination: the oil reduces chances of burning while the butter contributes flavor.) Using a 1/4 cup measure, make pancakes, two at a time. Cook a couple of minutes on the first side until you see a few bubbles, get a nice rise and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another couple of minutes on the reverse. Add butter and/or oil to keep skillet greased as needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, lower heat to medium, especially for second side. (While pancakes cook, make syrup.) When cooked through, remove pancakes to plates or a serving platter, keep warm in the preheated oven, and repeat with remaining butter and/or oil and pancake batter. Serve warm with syrup.

Vegan Golden Scotchy-Raisin Pecan Maple Syrup

1 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons Scotch whiskey

In a small cast iron skillet over medium-high, melt butter. Add pecan pieces and saute, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes. Reduce heat if bubbling too fast. Add raisins and do the same. Add maple syrup and cook another couple of minutes. Turn off heat and stir in Scotch. Mine doesn’t flame up with the heat off, but be prepared for some flambe action just in case.