Weekday Banana Pancakes

Pancakes are somewhat of a ritual in our house. Over the years, my husband has perfected his recipe and its something the whole family looks forward to on a Sunday morning, with the kids often piling in to help. But this ritual is a lazy Sunday morning process, no rush, just pure enjoyment. We have the luxury to whisk the egg whites before incorporating them, and resting the batter etc. etc. Sometimes however you need a simple and quick recipe. This recipe is so quick and easy that I even make it on weekday mornings... hence the name.

This recipe yields really fluffy pancakes, with a delicious naturally sweet taste from the bananas. As a bonus, these pancakes are more filling than regular pancakes due to the banana and Greek yoghurt in the recipe which provides a nice hit of protein. They are also healthier than regular pancakes as the banana brings so much sweetness, this recipe only calls for one tablespoon of sugar, which you could even omit if you like. They are sure to be a hit with the whole family.

The Process

What's not to love about a one bowl recipe? Quick to make, and easy to clean up!

Step 1: Preheat a medium sized non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add the butter to melt.

Step 2: Mash the banana in a bowl. Scrape the banana to one side and crack the egg into the other side. Whisk the egg, and then combine with the banana.

Step 3: Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, melted butter and mix. Wipe down the pan with a paper towel to remove residual butter.

Step 4: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and milk, and mix until combined.

Step 5: Make a test pancake. This is your opportunity to test the temperature of the pan to ensure that it is neither too hot (will cause the pancakes to be too dry and dark/burnt), or too cool (will cause a rubbery pancake due to prolonged cook time). In addition its a perfect opportunity to do a taste test so that you can adjust the sugar and spice levels if needed.

I usually put about a tablespoon of batter into the pan and cook it for about 30 seconds on both sides, and then test. Here is the little test pancake that I made. You can see that it has cooked well as it has a nice rise to it and a beautiful golden shade. You can see that there are some black flecks on top, which led me to wipe the pan down with a paper towel to get rid of any remaining residue before making the full size pancakes. The taste was on point, so I didn't adjust any of the seasonings at this stage. If you do make any adjustments, you can of course do another test pancake to verify your results before moving onto the next step.

Step 6: Once the batter is adjusted to your liking, its time to make the full size pancakes. You can really make these any size you want. A quarter cup will create a small pancake, and a third cup a medium size pancake. Add the batter to the pan. Wait until you see bubbles consistently popping through the surface of the pancake before flipping. Cook for another thirty seconds or so on the other side, checking that the pancake is fully cooked before removing from the heat.

Step 7: You can keep the pancakes hot in an oven preheated to 200F while you make the rest of the batch. Once ready, serve with a drizzle of maple syrup and whatever toppings you want. I added sliced banana and chopped walnuts to mine and it was delicious!