Finnish Pancakes with Eggs and Bacon (Thunder Bay, Ontario)

Finnish pancakes are not fluffy short-stacks but instead flat, plate-size pancakes. Finnish pancakes have a lot going for them, including their tenderness, a lovely caramelized finish, and an exceptional amount of surface area for loading on the maple syrup and berries. They live at the intersection of crêpe and, well, pannukakku (that's Finnish for pancakes). But, as it turns out, these so-called "Finnish" pancakes aren't from Finland at all. Instead, they're a uniquely Canadian innovation. Starting in the early 1900s, waves of Finnish immigrants came to Thunder Bay in northern Ontario to work in the area's bush camps and paper mills. Canada was their new home, and there was much to be explored, work to be done, and breakfast to be served. Finnish pancakes were an easy meal using accessible ingredients that could be made and served in the bush. The Hoito restaurant, located in the basement of the historic Finnish Labour Temple in Thunder Bay, popularized the pancakes way back when, and up until recently, continued to serve thousands each week to locals and tourists alike. The batter is a one-bowl affair, leaving in some lumps isn't only okay but preferable, and there's little downtime, as the mixture needs only 30 minutes to rest.

3 eggs
2 cups milk
¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp. sugar
¾ all-purpose flour, unbleached
¼ tsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
¼ tsp. sea salt
6 strips bacon

To Serve:
fresh berries
pure maple syrup

Heat oven to 400°F (204°C/184°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Place bacon on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cook in oven for 15-20 minutes or until desired doneness.

Meanwhile in bowl, mix together eggs, milk, vanilla, lemon zest.
In separate bowl, stir together sugar, flour and salt. Whisk into milk mixture until smooth.

Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat and melt one Tbsp. of butter.

Ladle enough batter to just coat bottom of pan. Pancake should be slightly thicker than a crepe. Let cook one to two minutes or until golden brown. Flip and let cook one minute more. Add additional butter to pan as needed to continue to cook pancakes.

Serve with bacon and your favourite fruit and lots of maple syrup.

Makes 10.