Why You Should Thank This Man at Brunch

(And… A Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Pancake Recipe)

When I decided to write about brunch, I had never considered where it originated. The idea that there was a time where brunch didn’t exist had never even crossed my mind. Can you really imagine a world where you would wake up at 11:00 am without the perfect combination of mimosas and waffles shared over an outdoor patio table? I can’t either!

As a kid, every weekend when my dad was off, we would have a big family brunch. If we went to church on Sunday morning, it was a treat to go out for a classic American breakfast of bacon and eggs at Bob Evans . If we skipped church to sleep in, my dad would make some coffee and start on the pancake batter for his extra chocolatey chocolate chip pancakes or my personal favorite cocoa wheats with brown sugar.

The tradition of brunch transformed as I grew up but the essence of brunch stayed the same. It is the perfect time of day to meet with friends and family whether your friends are hungover from the night before or just excited to share some gossip over bottomless mimosas and chicken and waffles.

So, how did our beloved meal come to be?

Well, in 1895, Guy Beringer in Hunter’s Weekly wrote the first known essay on brunch. He argues that brunch is the only reasonable meal to have on a mid-Sunday morning and dives into all the wonderfully, hilarious reasons. The essay he appropriately titled “Brunch: A Plea.”  Please read this in its entirety. It is SO relatable. But, the following lines might be my favorite.

To a certain extent I am pleading for Brunch from selfish motives. The world would be kinder and more charitable if my brief were successful. To begin with, Brunch is a hospitable meal; breakfast is not. Eggs and bacon are adapted to solitude; they are consoling, but not exhilarating. They do not stimulate conversation. Brunch, on the contrary, is cheerful, sociable, and inciting. It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper; it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow-beings. It sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week. The advantages of the suggested innovation are, in short, without number, and I submit it is fully time that the old régime of Sunday breakfast made room for the “new course” of Sunday Brunch.

P.S.—Beer and whiskey are admitted as substitutes for tea and coffee.

Guy Beringer, Hunter’s Weekly

Even though the meals served at brunch have transformed as society continues to change, Guy Beringer nailed the essence of brunch in one essay. It is a lifestyle. It is a meal that lets us all sleep in and have another drink with any variety of food we would like! So, when you raise your mimosas this weekend, give a toast to Guy Beringer. 

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I later found that my dad simply used Aunt Jemima’s recipe and added chocolate chips. Instead I used Bob Red Mill’s Gluten Free pancake mix and spiced it up with a bit of cinnamon. (My guests could not tell these were gluten free. They’re that good!)

Estimated time: 30-40 minutes

• Prep time 5 minutes
• Cooking time 10 minutes

What you’ll need :

Pancakes (Makes 10 to 12 Pancakes):

• 1 cup mix dry measure
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon butter (optional coconut or vegetable oil)*
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Toppings:

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon of sugar

Instructions (Mostly stick to the instructions on the box, but add in these few twists!)

1. Heat skillet over medium-low heat. Add a tablespoon of butter* to the skillet.
2. Combine the oil, egg, milk, pancake mix, and ground cinnamon. Whisk the batter until the batter is smooth, but be careful not to overmix. Let the batter rest 1 to 2 minutes to thicken.
3. While the batter thickens, prepare your chocolate chips in a bowl on the side.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the additional sugar and cinnamon. Set this on a plate to the side. (If you need more, use a 2:1 ratio.)
5. Pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto the skillet.
6. After 30 seconds, add a handful of chocolate chips.
7. Flip the pancakes when they start to bubble and the bottoms turn golden brown.
8. Once the pancakes are golden on both sides, coat the pancakes in your sugar + cinnamon. (You may need to add butter or maple syrup to really get the cinnamon sugar to stick.)
9. Repeat until you’re all out of batter.
10. Enjoy!