Maple Oat Pancakes

I know I have said this before, but I am not a big fan of pancakes. Cooking them that is. Eating, well that is a whole other story. As with most things, a little practice does help. I still have not perfected my technique, but I can now make a batch of pancakes that is beyond just edible. The problem is that it takes a lot of patience. In the past I have always turned the heat up too high and ended up with burned on the outside and runny on the inside pancakes. I now put the heat just to the left of medium, this takes a lot longer, but yields much better results.
I like my pancakes crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Most of the time I sprinkle wheat germ to achieve the effect, but I wanted something a little more subtle for Oatmeal pancakes. What could be more appropriate than oat bran? These are adapted from Kim Boyce's Oatmeal Pancakes, a few simple substitutions made them lighter in both flavor and texture than the original recipe.

Maple Oat Pancakes
adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
Makes about 16 pancakes

3/4 cup oat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons maple sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus extra for the pan)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup cooked oatmeal
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 large eggs
1/4 cup oat bran

Whisk the oat flour, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the butter, buttermilk, cooked oatmeal, maple syrup and eggs together until thoroughly combined. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. The batter should be slightly thick with a holey surface.
Heat a 12-inch cast-iron pan or griddle over medium heat until water sizzles when splashed onto the pan. Rub the pan generously with butter. Working quickly, dollop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the pan, 2 or 3 at a time. Once bubbles have begun to form on the top side of the pancake, flip the pancake and cook until the bottom is dark golden-brown, about 5 minutes total. Wipe the pan with a cloth before griddling the next batch of pancakes. Add more butter as needed. Continue with the rest of the batter.

Serve the pancakes hot, straight from the skillet or keep them warm in a low oven.