Cast Iron Griddle

A cast iron griddle is coveted by breakfast lovers world over. Below you will find the ideal breakfast, with each component cooked on a cast iron griddle. The griddle can be heated over an open fire, or on your kitchen stovetop. You should heat it for about 15 minutes before you begin cooking, to get the heat evenly distributed across the surface. Using the fat from your bacon adds a great flavor to both the eggs and the pancakes—however this requires cooking the bacon first. This is up to you.

Menu

Buttermilk Pancakes
Bacon
Fried Eggs

Use half your griddle to do the pancakes and half for the bacon and eggs all at the same time. Or, you can cook the pancakes first, keep them warm in an oven and then cook your bacon and eggs at the end.

Recipe: Buttermilk Pancakes

    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 large egg, lightly beaten
    1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
    oil or pork fat for brushing griddle

Preparation

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, egg, and buttermilk until smooth.

Heat your cast iron griddle (you can do this with a cast iron skillet if you lack a griddle) over moderate heat, either on the stovetop or over a fire, until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface brush with a bit of oil or porkfat from the bacon. Use a 1/4-cup measure filled halfway and pour the batter onto griddle and cook, turning over once, until golden, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a heatproof plate and keep warm, covered, in your cast iron Dutch oven.
 
A cast iron griddle is also great for French toast, toast, omelets and scrambled eggs. You can cook biscuits and scones in about 15 minutes, right on top of your griddle in a similar manner to cooking a pancake, that is, by flipping it over a every 5 minutes or so. Cooking on a cast iron griddle makes you feel like you’re at a classic diner—and you can taste it in your food as well.