Actually, I think that my immense appreciation for breakfast originated with my dad. For as long as I can remember, he has always been the source of all things breakfast in my house. Every Sunday for my entire life (or at least pretty close) at my parents' house we would have scrambled eggs and doughnuts. Mmmm mmmm. And on special occasions we'd have pancakes or french toast or cinnamon rolls or bacon or some combination of the aforementioned.
After I moved out to go to college, when I came home to visit for the weekend or holidays, I would be greeted most mornings to the mingled smells of coffee and some form of the best possible breakfast food. Thanks Dad.
Like I said: I love breakfast.
And I love Asia.
BUT
I do not love breakfast in Asia.
Somehow, curry or fish balls first thing in the morning just doesn't do it for me. Unfortunately, there are no diners here. No Perkins or Denny's or Keys (my favorite breakfast place in St. Paul). No where to get GOOD breakfast (except Hatched, and if you live in Singapore, you should definitely go there).
Thus I am left to my own devices. And Banana Pancakes are where it's at.
They are the ultimate bum-around-all-morning-stuffing-your-face-and-ignoring-the-world-at-large breakfast food. Jack Johnson even wrote a theme song for them:
**Listening to this song is a vital part of preparing the pancakes, so don't forget**
What you need:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs (room temperature)
2 cups buttermilk*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 stick/2 oz/~54 g butter (melted) or oil (plus a little extra butter for the frying pan)
2-3 just a little too ripe bananas
*If you don't have buttermilk (because it's *ahem* too expensive, or like most people, you don't keep it lying around) you can use what I like to call "the poor man's" buttermilk: 1 3/4 cup of milk mixed with 1/4 cup lemon juice.
A word about bananas: the absolute best bananas to bake with are the ones that are just past their peak of ripeness. The ones that have a fair number of brown spots that are just mushy enough that you don't really want to eat, but will eat in a pinch. What you can do is pop them in the freezer when they reach that point and then just pull them out whenever you feel the urge to make banana bread or even better, pancakes. After you freeze them, the skin turns all brown and gross looking, but trust me...this is what you want!
What you need to do:
Sift/whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl (no need for a mixer).
In another bowl, whisk the eggs and then add in the buttermilk, vanilla, and melted butter/oil.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk just until combined (lumps are good!!).
Peel the bananas (if frozen, peel before defrosting by using a sharp knife). Should they be frozen, microwave them 10 seconds at a time until they are soft enough to mash. Mash the bananas with a fork and then fold them into your batter with a rubber spatula. Once again, be careful not to over mix!
Heat up your frying pan or griddle on medium heat. Add a little bit of butter (< a Tbsp, you want just enough to cover the surface, but not enough that you're deep frying the pancakes).
When the butter is hot, spoon or pour your batter onto the pan (~1/3 cup per pancake, but you can use your judgement). It'll be time to flip when there are bubbles breaking through the surface of your pancakes.
Now, when it comes to eating banana pancakes, I have tried many different techniques and toppings. And I don't know that I've ever come across a bad one. But my absolute favorite goes as follows:
Take one pancake and spread a thin layer of peanut butter on it
Then put another pancake on top and drizzle some syrup on top...
Note: these are best enjoyed in the company of a good friend or family member.
This recipe was modified from a pancake recipe in Desserts by the Yard, a most fantastic dessert cookbook.
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