How to Make Delicious Banana Whole Wheat Pancakes

Whether you're young or old, a health nut or a gourmand, chances are you like banana pancakes. And why wouldn't you? The pancake is one of the world's oldest and most common foods; many cultures have pancakes, in one form or another, in their cuisine. The banana, that humble--yet sweet and nutritious--fruit is a staple in many households. People mash bananas for a good baby/toddler snack, and bake the overripe ones into a loaf. They're also ideal as a cereal topping and for eating of hand. How fitting it is that pancakes and bananas make a perfect combination for a quick and delicious breakfast.

The following recipe for banana pancakes uses whole wheat flour and rolled oats for a powerful carb punch (complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and oatmeal are especially important at breakfast time) and overripe bananas. I personally love using ones whose skins are very spotty--the riper the bananas, the sweeter and stronger the flavour. I also use unsweetened applesauce as a healthier oil substitute, but oil works just as well.

Servings: 12 pancakes

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup rolled oats, ground using a food processor (optional)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1-1/4 to 1-1/3 cups)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk or soy beverage
• 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce (may use canola or vegetable oil)
  

Banana pancakes can burn easily; therefore, the cooking temperature for them is lower than that for other types of pancakes. You might find that subsequent batches of pancakes cook quicker than the first batch, so keep your eye on the clock and regulate the heat if needed.

Note: Refer to the next section for best practices for making pancakes.

1. Preheat a lightly oiled griddle to 250-300 degrees F. (If using a skillet, set the burner to medium heat.)
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. In a larger bowl, mix the bananas, egg, milk, and applesauce.
4. Fold the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Don't overmix.
5. Ladle batter onto the griddle/skillet. When bubbles rise to the uncooked surface of the pancakes and break, flip the pancakes. Serve immediately.

There are a few rules of thumb for making pancakes. Keep the following in mind when you make any kind of pancakes:

• When mixing the dry and wet ingredients for the batter, always mix until they are just combined. Overmixing the batter produces rubbery, heavy pancakes.
• To check if the griddle or pan is hot enough for cooking pancakes, sprinkle a few drops of water on the surface. If the water sizzles and scatters across the surface, it's hot enough.
• The standard amount of batter to use for one pancake is 1/4 cup. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter for each pancake.
• Pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles form on top and then break (they look like little holes).

If a recipe makes more pancakes than you want, you can store the leftover pancakes in the freezer. Let the pancakes cool completely, separate them with pieces of wax paper, and put them in a freezer-safe container. When you're ready to have some leftover pancakes, just pop them (frozen) in the toaster.

If you prefer to make pancakes later from the leftover batter instead of re-heating the pancakes as above, you can store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will keep for about two days. Freezing the batter is a viable option, but be warned that this method causes ice crystals to form in the batter, which will thin out the batter when thawed. You can remedy this by adding a little flour to the batter before cooking.