A homemade version of a fast-food favorite, these sausage McGriddles are essentially breakfast sausage sandwiches served on pancake buns.
It’s time for another round of birthday breakfasts! As you might know already, I’ve started a tradition of cooking my loved ones breakfast in honor of their birthdays. Absolutely anything they want and I go all-out making it from scratch. This time it was my brother Ben’s birthday. He was very temped to request the same breakfast that I made his wife Julie a few weeks ago (bacon egg and cheese sandwiches on these homemade sandwich rolls). But he did some deep thinking about what he was really craving and came upon the humble sausage McGriddle. So I set about seasoning up some pork to make breakfast sausage and mixing up a batch of fluffy biscuit-like pancakes to serve as buns for the sandwich. And I probably don’t need to say it, but these homemade sausage McGriddles were obviously was better than the fast-food ones.
For those who may not know: a sausage McGriddle is one of McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches, a sausage patty served on what’s essentially an ultra-fluffy, maple syrup injected pancake. The savory sausage against the sweet pancake bun is the perfect balance of salty and sweet. And maybe some of you are wrinkling your noses at the thought of fast-food breakfast. But honestly sometimes fast-food just fast, easy and comforting. But obviously, if you have the time and energy, the homemade version is going to be just as as comforting while also tasting about a thousand times better and being slightly better for you. So let’s get down to exactly how I made these sausage McGriddles.
THE MCGRIDDLE BUN IN SAUSAGE MCGRIDDLES
The hallmark of the McGriddle is its bun: a thick, fluffy pancake injected with maple syrup. Since pouring syrup over a sandwich would just get incredibly messy, making sure that the bun itself is infused with maple flavor is essential in getting it to emulate a pancake. When researching a few copycat recipes for the McGriddle, I came across a few different ways of doing this. One person chose to create a maple candy of sorts by boiling the maple syrup, letting it set until hard, and then rolling it into little balls that he sprinkled throughout the pancake batter. I thought of using this approach, but in an easier way by using pre-made maple candy (and you could most definitely choose to try this).
But I decided to take a different, even easier approach by simply swirling maple syrup into the pancake while it was cooking. You’ll want to make these pancakes using a ring mold; they come out perfectly round and the perfect sized bun for a sandwich. Using a ring mold will also help you with infusing the maple syrup. After adding your batter to the ring mold and letting it set for about a minute, you’ll drizzle some maple syrup on top and use a toothpick to swirl it into the pancake. And when the pancake is set you can remove the ring mold and flip it. You’ll have a perfectly shaped pancaked bun bursting with maple flavor.
THE BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
These sausage McGriddles are essentially super simple sandwiches, with only two components. I already covered how I made the McGriddle part – the bun – so let’s go over the breakfast sausage. Now, you can use any breakfast sausage you like for this recipe. There’s tons of great frozen or pre-packaged options. But birthdays are special and I wanted to go all-out. So I decided to season ground pork myself to make this breakfast sausage. I used a bunch of seasonings and spices – I think the sage is the most important to really emulate the breakfast sausage taste – along with a touch of maple syrup for sweetness. Making your own breakfast sausage also means you can form the patties into the exact shape of the pancake bun, making for a perfectly shaped sandwich.
So the next time you’re in the mood for a classic fast-food breakfast like the sausage McGriddle, definitely try out my homemade version. Yes, they’re not as easy as going to the drive-through. But they’re far more delicious, and make for a really special breakfast.
Homemade Sausage McGriddles
Equipment
- at least 2 3 inch ring molds
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 +3/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
For the sausage patties (alternatively, you can use your favorite pre-made sausage patties)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tbsp fresh sage, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
Instructions
For the pancake buns
- Whisk together flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg and melted butter. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing until there are no more bits of dry ingredients (lumps are okay).
- Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat and grease with butter. Grease the ring molds with butter or cooking spray and place on the griddle. Add about 1/3 cup of batter to each ring mold and let the pancake cook, about 1 minute. Be sure that the batter is touching all the edges of the ring mold so that when you add the maple syrup, it won't leak out.
- Add about 1 tbsp of maple syrup to the top of each pancake. Use a toothpick or a spoon to swirl the maple syrup into the batter.
- Cook until the pancakes are beginning to bubble around the edges and the ring molds release easily, about 3-4 minutes. Then remove the ring molds (using an oven mitt, they will be hot) and use a spatula to flip the pancakes. Cook until browned on the second side, 2-3 minutes.
- Set the pancakes aside on a sheet tray and repeat this process until you have 6 pancakes; these will be your sandwich buns. You may have extra batter, but it took me some trial and error to make 6 perfect buns, so you may need to use the extra batter. If not, you can simply cook them up as regular pancakes.
For the sausage patties (alternatively, you can use your favorite pre-made sausage patties)
- Make the sausage patties. In a large bowl or skillet, combine all the sausage ingredients. Divide the mixture until 6 even balls.
- Place each sausage ball on a sheet of parchment and place another sheet of parchment on top. Use a large flat surface (like the bottom of a pan or pot) to flatten each ball out into a patty that's about 4 inches in diameter (they'll shrink when you cook them)
- Heat the same skillet or griddle that you used to make the pancakes over medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Cook the sausage patties until evenly browned, 4-5 minutes on each side. Set aside.
Assemble
- Carefully slice each of your pancake buns crosswise down the center (the way you would slice a sandwich bun). Sandwich a sausage patty between each half of the bun and enjoy.
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