Whole-wheat pancakes should satisfy Dad’s hunger

This Father’s Day, treat Dad to a breakfast that will sustain him through all the well-deserved naps he’ll want to take.

And for that, no ordinary pancake will do. He needs pancakes that pack tons of flavor, mop up plenty of syrup and satisfy any meaty cravings that otherwise would send him reaching for breakfast links.

All the better if those pancakes could have a healthy side: Love also means not wanting Dad to have a coronary.

Start with your basic pancake recipe. While they can be made with all-purpose flour, this recipe uses white whole-wheat. The taste is similar to white flour, but with all the healthy attributes of whole grains.

Just as importantly, whole-wheat flours absorb more liquid than refined. In a food designed to sop up maple syrup, this is key. This flour also has a more substantial flavor, which stands up to the other ingredients.

While you could dress up these pancakes with blueberries or chocolate chips, how about something a bit more daring? Try finely diced turkey sausage and apple, both common breakfast accompaniments.

It took a few tries to get the texture right on this. Cutting the sausage and apple into chunks created lumpy, unattractive pancakes that cooked unevenly. Finely dicing them worked much better, and a quick spin in the food processor was easiest.

Using precooked turkey sausages means the meat doesn’t need to be cooked before adding it to the pancake batter. But the taste is much better if the sausage is browned first. Browning the apples also helps caramelize their sugars.

This recipe also is easily adapted. Other fruit, such as bananas or berries, could be substituted for the apple. If using berries, add them directly to the batter and skip the initial saute.

Sausage and apple pancakes

2medium sweet Italian turkey sausages (precooked), each cut into chunks

1apple, peeled and cored

11/4cups all-purpose or white whole-wheat flour

1tablespoon sugar

2teaspoons baking powder

1/4teaspoon salt

1cup milk

1egg

2tablespoons canola (or vegetable) oil

Cooking spray

Place a heat-proof plate or platter in the oven. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Place the sausages and apple in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute until the sausage is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the milk, egg and oil. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and mostly smooth.

Add the sausage and apple mixture to the batter and mix until evenly distributed.

Rinse and dry the skillet, then lightly coat it with cooking spray. Return the skillet to the burner over medium heat. When the skillet is hot (a drop of water should immediately sizzle away), spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. Make 2 or 3 pancakes at a time.

When the edges of the pancakes show bubbles, use a spatula to flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer the finished pancakes to the platter in the oven and repeat with remaining ingredients. Add a light coat of cooking spray to the pan between batches.

Serve pancakes with warm maple syrup.

Makes four servings.