These are adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman. They're rich, fluffy pancakes, and the peach slice perched atop each cake caramelizes a bit and softens sweetly as it cooks. Do be sure to put the pancakes in the oven as you finish them, otherwise they might not cook through.

From Melissa Coleman's The Minimalist Kitchen cookbook: "I make these pancakes for my husband. He’s team fluffy, and I’m team wheat. But wheat pancakes have a reputation for being dense and bitter. When I set out to write this book, I took an informal survey on the use of wheat flour in the kitchen. About half swore it off vehemently and the other half proclaimed their deep love for wheat pastry flour. After picking up a bag of it, I switched out all my regular wheat flour for wheat pastry flour. It makes a shocking difference. It’s light without a trace of bitter. I’ve used it throughout the book. Even in the puff pastry! I hope you’ll give it a chance and pick up a bag, too. If not, it’s an equal exchange for all-purpose flour. P.S. Don’t skip the orange zest if you can help it.

These are pancakes for people who don't like pancakes (i.e., me). The cottage cheese not only transforms the texture of the cakes, making them light, fluffy, and soufflé-like, but enhances their taste, as well. Think: strawberry cheesecake for breakfast (though certainly not as heavy as that). I like to eat these with maple-macerated strawberries, which create a gorgeous pink syrup of their own as they sit. But you could just as well serve them with bacon and eggs, as I often like to do (in that case, just halve the batter amounts you see here so you end up with two cakes instead of four). This cottage cheese pancake recipe is very simple and forgiving, requiring of you just some low-lift stirring and pouring and noshing. Which is just as well—mornings are hard enough already.

Even without the toppings, this coconut milk pancake base is becoming my new go-to; it's creamy, fluffy, subtly tropical, and the leftover coconut milk in the can can be saved from breakfast until piña colada-o'clock.

There's nothing more comforting than simple scallion pancakes: flaky, fragrant, delicious, and easy to whip up. Make sure to do multiple repetitions for the laminating process—this is what creates all the layers! I don't use any dipping sauce with my scallion pancakes. I want the scallion flavor to really shine, and a dipping sauce might overpower that flavor. I add sea salt in the layers and that is sufficient for flavoring.

Sveler are Norwegian pancakes served primarily in ferry cafés along the country's west coast. They can be eaten cold and served with a variety of toppings. They taste best with a cup of coffee.

What to do with all that zucchini in the summer? This is a delicious side dish.

This recipe is lightly adapted from the ever-wonderful, ever-poetic Molly Wizenberg and her blog Orangette (http://orangette.net/). The pancake process begins the night before, when you mix the oats and buttermilk together and leave them overnight in the fridge. I recommend pre-mixing the dry ingredients the night before as well and leaving them on the counter, so in the morning all you have to do is take out the oats, toss in a few eggs, some oil, and the dry ingredients and you're ready to go. Perfect for rainy Thursday mornings when you need something more than yogurt to get you out of bed, and bonus: they're excellent leftover.

Jacques Pépin’s Criques Crispy Potato Pancakes are a French classic, made with grated potatoes, eggs, and seasonings. Pan-fried to perfection, these golden, crispy pancakes are a deliciously simple, savory dish, perfect as a snack or side.