Banana Pancakes

Now don't tell me that doesn't make you think about the song by Jack Johnson??! (thank you, Sarah, for introducing me to that song when I was your roommate in college! :)

But I will refrain from singing it.

The ratio for pancakes from Ruhlman's book lists pancakes as being 2 parts flour: 2 parts liquid: 1 part egg: 1/2 part fat. Try as I might with different flours, liquids, and fats, I was never happy with the results of my pancakes. I wanted pancakes like the ones my dad made while we were growing up.


Now, let me just warn you that your extent of happiness with this recipe will depend solely on how you like your pancakes. Ruhlman's ratio gives you a thick, more "cake-y" kind of pancake. This one is thin and more flimsy. The ratio I ended with was 2 parts flour: 4 parts liquid: 1 part egg: 1/2 part fat. I also make small pancakes, because that's the kind I had as a kid.

How did I finally come up with this ratio? I pulled out my dad's recipe for pancakes :) And actually, it was originally my grandfather's recipe (without the banana...and he puts chopped nuts in his, too). My dad would sometimes get a banana (mashed) and an apple (chopped up in the food processor) and add it to our batter. Here, I only had a banana (that was definitely ready to be mashed!), hence, today's recipe.

Banana Pancakes

4 oz. whole grain flour blend
10 g. (1 T.) coconut palm sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 banana
1 egg
1 oz. grapeseed oil
8 oz. almond milk
1 t. vanilla

Heat flat skillet or griddle on med-low to medium heat. 

Mix all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mash the banana well, and then add the wet ingredients. Whisk thoroughly until smooth. Add to dry ingredients, and blend well with a spatula, whisking as needed to get any lumps out.

Pour batter onto pre-heated skillet for pancakes of your desired size. Carefully but firmly shake the pan so that the batter thins out as much as possible, and return to heat. Wait a few minutes, till bubbles cover the entire surface of the pancake. You may have to peek under the pancake using a flat spatula to check for the degree of browning. Flip the pancake with a flat spatula, and cook on the other side for about 30 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Makes about 12 small pancakes.
Shared on Gluten Free Fridays.