Pancakes VII: Banana Pancakes

This breakfast recipe comes with a soundtrack!

And after some research this seemed like the best recipe option...

Recipe

• 1 1/4 c flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 large ripe banana, mashed (~1/2 c)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 3/4 c non-dairy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the flour and add the other dry ingredients. Mash together the banana and oil separately, and mix into the batter with the milk and vanilla. Cook up the pancakes as usual! 

Pancakes v6: Vegan Coconut

Had some extra coconut milk around, plus shredded coconut, and felt like an indulgent breakfast... Found this recipe that seemed to check the boxes and not require any crazy ingredients and stuff:

Recipe
1 c flour (doesn't have to be coconut!)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 c coconut milk
1/2 c water
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

handful of shredded coconut

• Whisk together the dry ingredients, then add the wet ones and combine - doesn't have to be super smooth, lumps are fine!
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium; once hot, add some coconut oil and cook up batches of pancakes - about 2 tbsp to 1/4 c, a minute or two per side until set and browned.
• In the meantime, sprinkle the shredded coconut on a baking sheet and roast for a few minutes - don't forget while everything else is going on!
• Serve topped with toasted coconut, syrup, butter, etc.

Pancakes V: Yogurt

Another variation on the pancake theme - had a tub of yogurt that was probably nearing its expiration and a quick Google search showed that this is actually a thing:

Recipe

1 c flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 c yogurt
1/4 c water

Combine dries, then wets, then together.  Scoop by quarter cups or so onto your griddle (or cast iron skillet) and cook until they bubble, then flip and cook till golden brown.

Notes

So my morning reading comprehension or math was not up to snuff and I only used half the prescribed yogurt (was pretty much all I had left anyway).  That left my batter way too dry, so I added some extra water and milk.  All of that to say, didn't come out great, not picture worthy, but still tasty and worth trying again soon...

Pancakes IV: Ugnspannkaka

Possibly the worst food name ever, but otherwise a somewhat straightforward Swedish baked pancake:

Recipe

2 eggs
2 1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 c flour

Beat eggs with 1 c of the milk, then whisk in the salt, sugar, and flour.  Stir in the rest of the milk until you have a smooth batter.  Let it sit a few minutes (10 if you have the patience of a 50's housewife), then pour into a buttered baking dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.  Serve with jam or fruit puree.

Here's mine, with Ikea-classic lingonberry jam!

Pancakes Part III: Cornmeal

After a kitchen mishap (mostly my own fault but a little on a poorly-designed cornmeal container too), I have a Ziploc bag of cornmeal to kill.  Google furnished an array of pancake recipes, varying in cornmeal-flour ratio and other ingredients.  Tough to choose on a sleepy and hungry weekend morning!  I went with this.

Recipe

1/3 c flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/8 c cornmeal
1 egg
1 1/8 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
sugar, cinnamon (optional)

Whisk together your dry ingredients, then your wet ingredients, then together.  Cook scoops of up to about 1/4 c in a hot pan.

Notes

What's with the 1/8 c increments?  Sadly, it seemed to be a feature of all of the recipes I found.  This one included some extra flavors like vanilla and cinnamon.  The key takeaway seems to be that the breakdown of ingredients is not set in stone, and you can vary as you like.  As for the cornmeal pancake concept overall?  The big difference is definitely texture, with more crunch than the other options.  Mine were a bit bland on their own, really needed some syrup.  Good one to keep in mind though!

Pancakes Part II: Oatmeal

Next pancakes endeavor: oatmeal-based batter.  Recipe courtesy of MyFitnessPal.

Recipe

1/4 c flour
1 c quick-cooking oats
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg

Whisk together dries in a bowl, wets in another bowl, then together.  Get your skillet to medium heat, and add small scoops of batter (three per batch for me).  Cook until tops are bubbly, then flip and finish until bottoms are golden brown.  Repeat as necessary with the rest of the batter.

Notes

This one took a few attempts on my part, so you have the benefit of my trial and error.  The batter comes out pretty moist, watery even.  So I had to be patient and not try to cram too much batter into the skillet to speed up the cooking process.  Make your pancakes small!  Don't let them pool by the edges of the skillet - they won't cook through evenly.  And flip decisively, since they'll still be a little gooey even when the bottom is well done.

Follow these guidelines and you get some tasty pancakes, interesting texture, and the glow of a fitness app-approved healthy breakfast.

Pancakes Part I: Whole Wheat

Who doesn't like pancakes?  Or have fond memories of pancake day some weekend morning?  Sure, maybe they're not the healthiest breakfast option (especially not by paleo standards) but still a good option to have in your repertoire.  Plus, I happened across a few ways that at least appear to step up the health factor.  Here's the first, courtesy of America's Test Kitchen:

Recipe

2 c whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 c buttermilk *substitution below
5 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a big bowl, then hollow out a space in the center.  Whisk the wets in another bowl, then pour into the hollow and, yes, whisk everything all together.

Heat a nonstick (or well-seasoned cast-iron) skillet to medium.  Take small scoops of batter with a 1/4 c measuring cup, about three per batch.  Things to watch for: edges set, bottoms golden brown, bubbles beginning to break (a couple minutes).  Then flip, another minute or two, remove, and do another batch.

Notes

According to ATK, the point of the whole wheat flour isn't so much health as chemistry.  You can whisk as much as you want/feel compelled to, and you'll still get light, fluffy pancakes.  Less gluten bonding, obviously.  Can't speak to what went on at the molecular level in my batter, but my pancakes were appropriately light and fluffy!  Need to get the timing down (thus no picture), but worth coming back to.

* To sub one cup buttermilk: One tbsp vinegar, then the remainder of 1 c with regular milk.  Stir and let sit a few minutes.