I have purist tendencies, but they don’t really apply to pancakes. Especially if fruit is involved. It’s been my experience that if you take a good thing (pancakes are a very good thing) and add fruit to it, you pretty much always end up with a better thing. (Actually, right away I’m seeing some limitations to this theory, so don’t worry: you won’t be confronted with a recipe for strawberry stroganoff anytime soon.) Blueberry pancakes have long been my favorite of all the pancakes. But I didn’t even know banana pancakes were a thing until Jack Johnson sang about them. And even then I didn’t rush out to make them part of my life. The first time I tasted banana pancakes was the first time I made these, during a camping trip in Itasca State Park last summer. And then I could see how someone might feel compelled to sing about them. In fact, when I set out to make these on Monday morning, I was a little afraid I’d be let down, that they’d only seemed so good the first time because I’d eaten them outside, in the middle of the woods, on what was otherwise a very good day. But I’m happy to report that they were so good the first time because that’s just the way they are.
First, melt the butter and let it cool for a bit so it’s less likely to harden into little flakes when you pour it into the buttermilk and egg. It also helps to set your egg and measured-out buttermilk on the counter ahead of time to let them come closer to room temperature. Then whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. (When I took these pancakes camping, I did this step before we left home, in a plastic storage container with a tight lid.)
Next, whisk together your relatively-close-to-room-temperature egg, buttermilk, and butter. Add them all at once to the dry ingredients and stir, scraping the bowl well, until everything is moistened. As always with pancakes, lumps are your friends. If you haven’t already, now is the time to slice your bananas (I aimed for 1/4- to 1/2-thickness) and set them close to the stove.
Warm a nonstick frying pan or electric griddle until drops of cold water sizzle and bounce on the surface, then grease it up with some butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake on the hot pan, then gently place four or five banana slices on top of each cake. If you try to squeeze too many banana slices on one pancake, you may experience some banana sliding, followed by pancake merging. (I did.) Feel free to drop some chopped nuts or something on there, too, if that’s your thing. Nuts are where my inner pancake purist draws the line. When the edges of the cakes start to look dry and bubbles are popping on the surface, flip them over and let the other side brown for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a plate.
Banana Pancakes (Recipe adapted from Sunset, via MyRecipes.com.)
Makes 10-12 pancakes, 4-6 servings.
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons butter, plus more for frying
- 2 ripe bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
Melt the butter, take the egg out of the fridge, and measure the buttermilk. Set aside at room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.
Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto a sizzling-hot buttered nonstick pan or griddle, then arrange four or five banana slices on each circle of batter. Flip the pancakes after a couple of minutes, when the edges start to look dry and the uncooked surface is starting to bubble. Cook for another minute or two, until browned.
Spread on a baking sheet in a warm oven so they stay toasty while you finish the batch, then serve with maple syrup or cinnamon-sugar. Bonus points if you have bacon.
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