I'm making banana pancakes, pretend like its the weekend now... [k]

When I get the time, I LOVE putting that little bit more effort into breakfast. Not that these options are difficult to make per se, but rather, extra effort with respect to the ingredients to use, the presentation, and the people - its most fun when others are around. Lazy breakfasts with friends = the perfect way to start a day.


There's an idea. WANTED: Breakfast club members


Whenever I bake, I'm always looking at ways to make the recipe a bit more... 'wholesome'. I can't help it, its the dietitian in me - but don't worry, my inner gastronome will make sure that texture and taste isn't compromised. And so far so good. This banana pancake recipe is fantastic - its similar to the versions I found off another fantastic food blog (http://buttersugarflour.com) and some martha steward site.
In case you're new to some ingredients - here's a bit of background:

• Wholemeal flour - made from the whole grain; hence the brown 'flakes' in the flour, which you just return to the mix after sifting the flour. I find it makes baked products a bit more denser with a 'nuttier' flavour. For some recipes, it is best used in combination with plain wheat flour (ie. white flour) to prevent the end product being too heavy or dry.
• Buttermilk - often there is the misconception that buttermilk is milk high in fat and buttery. This couldn't be further from the truth! Buttermilk is the residual liquid which remains after butter is churned, ie. milk from the butter. Thus it is actually lower in fat because the fat has been taken out to make the butter! Buttermilk is slightly sour, reminiscent of yoghurt and has a slightly thicker consistency than normal milk. 

(don't worry, I didn't eat them all myself)

------ Banana Buttermilk Pancakes 

• ¾ cup wholemeal flour
• ¼ cup plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 heaped tablespoons of caster sugar/light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 40g butter, melted
• 300ml buttermilk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 very ripe banana, mashed * see notes
• sliced banana and maple syrup, to serve

1. In a large bowl, sift and combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and cinnamon.
2. In another bowl or jug, combine the melted butter, egg, buttermilk and mashed banana. Make a 'well' in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over moderate heat, spray lightly with cooking oil spray and pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan - often I use a large serving spoon to approximate the batter measurement. Depending on the size of your frying pan, you can cook more pancakes simultaneously. When bubbles are formed evenly over the surface, flip over and cook for a further 20 seconds or so.
4. Once all your pancakes are ready, top them with sliced banana and serve with maple syrup.

* Notes

 - The riper the banana the better. How can you tell? Strong banana smell, lots of black spots on the banana skin, and a little too mushy to be eaten by itself. If the banana is leaking weird smelling juices - I'd probably say its a lil too ripe.

  - Martha Stewart suggests, instead of adding mashed banana to the batter, add sliced banana to the pancakes whilst they are cooking in the fry pan. This way, the banana nicely caramelises, and are evenly distributed over the pancakes. I say, combined them BOTH! the more banana the better I reckon.