How To Make Banana Pancakes—Healthy Banana Pancake Recipe
How to make banana pancakes? Frankly, when one of my close cronies asked me this question, I was a bit nervous because I had never tried it before. So, I told her to come to my place after a couple of weeks. For one thing, I wanted to try that recipe myself and also wanted to see if I could master that cooking technique before inviting my friends to breakfast or dinner. Yeah, that I think is a sensible practice since it saves you from a lot of social embarrassment! Elementary, Watson, as Sherlock Holmes would have said.
Now I would like to tell you how I entertained a few of my guests with some healthy and sumptuous banana pancake recipes adding my own twist to it. That’s another story, though. Just read on carefully if you want to know all the details.
Truly, this is a very pleasant time of year and it’s time to make some delicious banana pancakes! This banana pancake recipe makes wonderfully moist pancakes, even if they are made with whole wheat flour.
These whole wheat flour pancakes have more substance than the average pancake, which means they can keep you full until lunchtime. I would like to put peanut butter on them to give them more fiber and protein.
I adapted these pancakes from a famous chef’s banana and coconut pancakes. If you haven’t tried them yet, you’ve truly missed something! These are classic banana pancakes, and I was able to add a little more banana puree for maximum banana flavor.
These banana pancakes are great for lazy weekends and are perfect for warming up if you have a big breakfast during the week. You can also double the amount and freeze the extras for later. No doubt they brighten up cold grey mornings like the ones we had recently.
HOW TO MAKE BANANA PANCAKES – STEP BY STEP
You will have to start by mixing the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Now beat well and set aside.
Make a banana puree in a medium bowl until almost smooth.
Add the eggs.
Use a fork to mash.
Add the milk and vanilla extract.
Pour the banana mixture and melted butter into the dry ingredients.
Fold the batter with a rubber spatula. It will be thick and bulky.
Heat the vegetable oil with a cushion of butter on a baking tray or in a non-stick frying pan (the butter gives flavor and the vegetable oil prevents the butter from burning). Place the pancakes on the baking sheet and cook them until bubbles appear at the top and the bottom is golden and crisp.
Turn the pancakes over and let them cook for a few more minutes.
Cover with maple syrup.
Tips for making banana pancakes
Always make the pancakes by hand and not using an electric mixer. Mixing too much dough will result in rubber-like pancakes. Just combine wet and dry ingredients according to the instructions. Stir with a large spoon until no large pieces of powder are left.
Grills are great because you can cook several pancakes at the same time. Electric grills are great because the temperature is kept constant.
If you are cooking on the stovetop, you have to lower the heating a bit over time. The temperature is too high if the pancakes are golden outside but still raw inside.
You should brush your griddle or skillet slightly with butter or coconut oil in the middle. Clean the excess butter/oil with a paper towel so it does not burn. If there is too much butter in the frying pan, it would do more harm than good.
The pancakes are ready to be turned when the external look of the pancakes has gone from bright to matte. It’s better to wait a little longer to be sure than to end up with a mess.
What I like about these banana pancakes
Quick and easy to do
Light and smooth texture
High fiber content
Important tips to remember
After making so many pancakes, I have learned a lot from my mistakes and now I am happy to share my best tips for making awesome banana pancakes.
You should not mix them up too much. If you mix all the ingredients, be careful not to mix them overmuch. And don’t pay attention to some lumps in the batter. Over-mixing promotes gluten development, which makes the pancakes hard and rubbery.
Let the batter rest! This is not a strict rule, and if your time runs out you can skip this part. But the ideal method is to let the batter rest for 5 or 10 minutes before baking it. This ensures a smoother and more uniform texture and also ensures that the gluten development gets checked, making the pancakes lighter and softer.
It is best to grease the pancakes as little as possible. Pancakes should not be fried. If you use a frying pan, rub some vegetable oil on the pan with a paper towel. Butter is also good, but be careful not to burn it.
Grill on top of the skillet. The pancakes need heat, even heat to look delicious golden chestnuts and with a uniform shape. In this respect, an electric skillet or a griddle looks better than an ordinary frying pan because the temperature is kept constant and is easier to control when several pancakes are cooked at the same time.
Professional cooking tip: To check the cooking surface temperature, pour a few drops of cold water over it. The drops should fly and dance before they disappear. If they evaporate immediately, the pan is too hot and the pancakes will burn. If they don’t do it, the pan is too cold and the pancakes will turn pale.
Variations of banana pancakes and serving ideas
A simple splash of maple syrup on your pancakes is always a sure thing! That’s why I use very little sugar in the pancake batter. Some cooks would even leave some in the batter, and that would be perfect. For a little extra you can decorate your pancakes with some berries, banana slices, nuts, nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew etc) and/or a few spoonfuls of whipped cream or yogurt.
Another possibility is to make caramelized banana slices! Make sure you have some extra bananas on hand. Then melt one or two tablespoons of salted or unsalted butter in a pan. Add the thickly sliced bananas and a few tablespoons of light or dark brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the bananas caramelize and turn into syrup. This should take about 5 minutes. Serve immediately on your pancakes and enjoy!
What about using chocolate? If you like chocolate with your pancakes like I do, you can always use chocolate chips in the batter before baking. For this recipe, I recommend using 1/3 to 1/2 cup (60-90g) of chocolate chips, depending on your taste.
Wrapping up
Hope you enjoyed reading about how to make banana pancakes. And I am sure you would have no problem now to make a few delicious banana pancakes at home and you can also give them a personal touch to it using ingredients to suit your own taste. Go cooking!
Now I would like to tell you how I entertained a few of my guests with some healthy and sumptuous banana pancake recipes adding my own twist to it. That’s another story, though. Just read on carefully if you want to know all the details.
A simple splash of maple syrup on your pancakes is always a sure thing! That’s why I use very little sugar in the pancake batter. Some cooks would even leave some in the batter, and that would be perfect. For a little extra you can decorate your pancakes with some berries, banana slices, nuts, nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew etc) and/or a few spoonfuls of whipped cream or yogurt.
