Apple Pancakes

I've finally sucked it up and woke up early enough over the weekend to add a few breakfast recipes to my repertoire.  My brother Adam sent me this recipe.  He has quite the obsession with his gigantor, super nice cast iron, or his "man pan" as he so calls it.  My version of this recipe is not so manly.  I cut it in half and cooked it in my not-so-nice mini-skillet.  Even though I've never been a pancake person, I absolutely LOVED this recipe.  It reminded me more of an apple strudel, and the carmelized apples are to die for as far as I'm concerned.  My only hang up is that it is a bit sugary, so I'll probably limit this indulgence to no more than a few times a month. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-4 cups of apples, sliced and diced
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 to 1 cup brown rice flour, if going gluten free OR regular flour if not
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder (I only had baking soda and used that instead.  I was worried it would ruin the recipe since I know that can happen when you switch these two mysterious powders, but it didn't ruin anything for me)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 TBSP powdered sugar
• syrup, OPTIONAL

DIRECTIONS:

STEP ONE- THE PAN AND APPLES:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you have a cheap skillet with no non-stick fanciness like I, you will want to spray it with some cooking spray.  Put the 12" cast-iron skillet (or non-manly equivalent) into oven.

Slice the apples (I also diced them into 1/4 inch cube-sized bites). Throw the olive oil into the skillet and give it a minute or two to heat up. Make sure to tilt it around to coat the surface.  Add the apples to the skillet (make sure they're evenly distributed in the pan) and put it back in the oven.

STEP TWO- THE BATTER:
While the apples are getting cooked and the oven is heating up, mix the wet ingredients (milk and eggs). Blend in the flour (slowly so that you don't have clumps of flour), baking powder, and salt.

Pour the batter into the skillet (don't stir around the apples. It will cause them to stick).  Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the batter.  Put the skillet back in the oven.

Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the pancake is puffy and golden brown. It should rise quite a bit (and deflate once you remove it from the oven and it cools down). The bottom surface will be well cooked. If you're lucky, some of the apples on the bottom will be candied and gooey (mmm....).

STEP THREE- FINISHING TOUCHES:
Sprinkle the powdered sugar on the pancake once cooked.

Serve with syrup if you so choose.  I didn't.  I found it to be nice and moist and tasty just the way it is.