Banana Pancakes (SF)

I planned to post a different recipe today but this week life has been sweet. Very sweet. I went to Flora’s three times at least partly to celebrate my birthday with my two of my dearest friends. It was so much fun. They are great company and two marvellous ladies. So this year I didn’t bake a cake – I mean, with so many indulgent cupcake and pancake trips there really wasn’t. Even I have to admit that! And frankly I just didn’t feel like spending a whole day in the kitchen like I did last year. I cooked for days, to celebrate three family birthdays on three consecutive days. This time round I knew I deserved and wanted a break.

I never imagined I could make beautiful looking and delicious pancakes without sugar, but these are exactly so. I have slightly adapted the recipe but my inspiration comes from Dannii Martin‘s Hungry Healthy Happy. The breakfast section is my favourite because there’s lots of options to choose from and it really doesn’t look like something out of a weight-loss publication at all. Refined sugar is simply replaced by mashed-up bananas which frankly taste even sweeter.

As for the method, making pancakes takes a little bit of practice, the flipping part especially, but once you get the knack you will become an expert. A good excuse to make them at least during the weekend, for you and your gourmand friends.

A few notes before you start:

Having tried this recipe many times and of course, love it (Dannii knows), I find that it needs something a little tart to serve with these little beauties. Bananas can be overpowering. So I make sure to prepare some macerated strawberries and keep them in the fridge overnight. Maple syrup goes amazingly well here. ~~That almost goes without saying.~~

Also, I used a mixture of plain and wholemeal flours here, because I find that the pancakes hold together better and I prefer the texture. When I used an all wholemeal flour mixture, they turned out to be too soft. Plain flour is interchangeable with wholemeal flour and vice-versa in this recipe.

125g wholemeal flour
100g plain flour
3 teaspoons baking flour
small pinch of salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
small pinch of nutmeg
2 large very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
400ml milk
around 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
flavourless oil for greasing the griddle pan*

Combine both flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.

Pour the milk in a measuring jug and add the lemon juice to it. Set aside.

In another bowl, mash the bananas, add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and pour in the jugful of milk. Mix until just combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and give the mixture a good whisk. Set aside.

Tip in the egg whites in a medium bowl and whisk it until you get stiff peaks. Fold this carefully into the pancake batter. The mixture should turn pale yellow in colour.

Grease a non-stick griddle pan with a little oil and preheat it using medium to low heat.* Use a ladle to pour the pancake batter onto the pan. Pour the batter from the ladle to the pan decisively.

Cook on one side until you see bubbles forming throughout the surface and the edges have solidified. Then, without any hesitation, turn the pancake over on the other side. Repeat until you have used all your batter.

You will get a lot of pancakes using these quantities. I would say you can feed 4 hungry people easily. Serve immediately.

*I still prefer to grease the pan even if I use a non-stick one.

Rob.

(Recipe adapted from Dannii Martin’s Hungry Healthy Happy, Jacqui Small, 2016.)