Banana Pancakes

Pictured just below is the extent of dirty dishes you can expect (excluding a scoop to get batter into the pan and plates and utensils for serving).  I love making banana pancakes for a weekend breakfast.  It’s easy, absolutely delicious, and quick.  Due to food sensitivities, I use gluten free pancake mix but feel free to use any type of batter, including home made.  This is one of those recipes where I don’t measure anything so if this is frustrating, best to skip.  If interested though, recipe is below.

Ingredients:

• pancake mix (the ‘just add water’ type)
• 1 whole very ripe banana
• water
• favorite cooking oil (I prefer EVOO)
• butter (optional)
• Maple syrup (optional)

Peel banana, break into several pieces and place in mixing bowl.  Mash the banana until liquidy, being sure to eliminate chunky pieces.

If using store bought pancake mix (I do), pour about 1 cup of pancake mix over the mashed banana then add enough water so that the batter is between thick and thin.  Tip:  Add the water a bit at a time.  If you’re able to see tracks in the batter as you swirl the beater to mix the batter with the banana, then that is the ideal consistency.  If you don’t see any tracks, this means you’ve added too much water and the batter is too thin for pancakes.  You’ll need to add more pancake mix to thicken it up a bit.  If making own batter, mash banana in separate bowl then incorporate in home made batter.

Once the pancake batter is ready, put a griddle (I prefer non-stick) on the stove and heat to medium.  Allow the pan to get good and hot before scooping pancake batter into the middle of the pan (I use a 1/3 cup measuring scoop and I find that this is a perfect size pancake for me – on the smallish side)  Stream about a tablespoon of oil to the side of the pancake then tilt the pan slightly so that the oil runs all around the sides of the pancake.  This will give you a nice, somewhat crispy pancake edge.  After about a minute or two, gently lift side with a spatula and check ‘color’.  It should look like this:

If it does, then flip the pancake to reveal yummy golden color.  If it doesn’t, wait a few seconds, check again to make sure it’s a satisfactory color, then flip.  Allow the other side to cook (takes about another minute or so).  Remove from pan, stack on a plate, and put in a warming oven until other pancakes are done.  Note:  The second side won’t look as good as the first but that’s okay.  You only ‘need’ one side to look good for presentation’s sake.

Serve with a bit of butter and warmed maple syrup if desired.  It’s actually really delicious on its own though.

How to elevate: After swirling the oil around the rim of the pancake, drop chopped walnuts (my preference) or pecans on the exposed side of the pancake before flipping.  Talk about yummm!