Banana Bread Pancakes

Mastering the art of the pancake; I mean, what makes a good one? Sometimes you want thin & crispy flapjacks, which, in that regard, Nadia G’s Cornmeal Pancakes have no equal. However, a pancake to me means thick, fluffy, and obscene. They are a decadent meal. You’re basically eating griddled cake batter for breakfast. Over the years, I’ve had the toughest pancake critic to please and her name is Kara. So a few Saturdays ago, I awoke with the desire to re-tool my pancake recipe…yet again. I desired more thickness. More floof.  (Like Dodge‘s floofy pants).

Unhealthy as they may be, I LOVE a good pancake. They are quick, filling, cheap, and always a crowd-pleaser. When I say easy, I really mean it. You can have a batch ready to fry up in less than 10 minutes. Mix the dry, mix the wet, mix together and voila! You can flavor them however you like by just adding fresh fruit or nuts or spices. In this case, I decided to turn these uber fluffy pancakes into something akin to banana bread by tossing in an overripe banana and some toasted walnuts. Let me tell you…these taste pretty much just like what you’d think banana bread in pancake form would taste like! Deee-licious.

Now there’s a bit of science involved with getting a pancake super fluffy. It involves the ratios of baking powder, baking soda, and an acid (in this case, the lemon juice). It’s all about getting the right amount of lift. Sally’s Baking Addiction has a SUPER informative write-up on the differences between the two and how crucial it is to understand them. I highly recommend giving it a read. And just try to pretend like you’re not eating dessert for breakfast.

Another thing that makes pancakes super easy on a lazy Saturday morning? A griddle. It’s pretty much the main reason we own one. I highly recommend it because you can cook 5 to 6 at a time – that means feeding more people in a hurry. If you’re mass producing pancakes for a crowd and want to feed everyone at the same time (some of you with kids are thinking “is he crazy?”), then heat your oven to 200 degrees and toss your pancakes in there to keep them warm until feeding time.

Oh, a final tip? We always toss some syrup in a saucepan on low heat with a pat of butter. Nothing worse than cold syrup on hot pancakes, so heating it up is a good idea. Yeah, that’s right – old fashioned hot buttered syrup makes those cakes all the better.

Now, I’ll shut up and get on with the pancakes!

Most important of all, these are Kara approved.