Banana pancakes with milk
Making banana pancakes is not difficult, it's like making pancakes. They cook quickly and turn out very tasty, fluffy, and tender.
I make banana pancakes with milk whenever I fancy a quick, tasty breakfast or afternoon snack. They are no more difficult to prepare than ordinary pancakes – they turn out fluffy, tender and wonderfully fragrant. They are best served straight after cooking, while still warm. Serve them with jam, fresh fruit, cherries in gelatin, condensed milk or honey. You can drizzle them with any sweet syrup or pair them with a glass of milk – it all depends on your taste. The recipe needs a minimum of ingredients and effort.
This recipe is my "family classic" for weekend mornings. Cooking time is 35 minutes, it makes 3 servings, and the calorie content is 190 kcal per 100 g.
Ingredients
Show ingredients
- medium bananas – 2 pieces;
- milk – 150 ml;
- flour – 150 g;
- egg – 1 piece;
- sugar – 2 tsp;
- baking powder – 1.5 tsp;
- vegetable oil – 2.5 tbsp;
- salt – 2 pinches.
Making the pancakes step by step
1. I prepare the ingredients for the banana pancakes with milk. I peel the bananas. I warm the milk slightly – to room temperature or a little warmer, so that the batter rises faster.
2. In a convenient bowl I mash the banana with a fork. I do NOT recommend using a blender – you need a thicker mass. With a blender the mass turns out too runny, and the pancakes will not be fluffy.
3. I crack one chicken egg into the banana mass. An egg at room temperature combines better with the other ingredients.
4. I add 2 tsp of sugar. Bananas are sweet on their own – no more sugar is needed.
5. I add 2 pinches of salt. Salt brings out the sweetness and balances the flavour.
6. I add 2.5 tbsp of vegetable oil and whisk everything together. Oil in the batter makes the pancakes more tender.
7. I pour in 150 ml of warm milk and mix everything until the sugar dissolves.
8. In a separate bowl I sift the flour together with the baking powder. Sifting fills the flour with air – the batter will be fluffier.
9. I add the sifted flour and baking powder to the prepared banana-milk mass in portions and whisk everything thoroughly.
10. I cook the pancakes on a dry frying pan without adding oil – it is already in the batter. To cook the pancakes evenly, I use a pan with a flat bottom and no relief. A non-stick coating works well. I heat the pan over medium heat.
11. I pour the batter onto the hot pan, trying to pour it into the centre of the bottom – the batter will spread out evenly by itself.
12. I cook on one side until bubbles appear on the surface, then turn it over. If the temperature is right, by the time the bubbles appear the top of the pancake will no longer be quite liquid. If the bottom is burning while the top is still runny, I reduce the heat. And the other way round – if it is cooked through but pale underneath, I increase the heat. For me the first side takes 1.5–2 minutes, and the second about a minute.
13. I fry the other side until it reaches the same golden colour.
14. The banana pancakes with milk are ready. I put them on a plate and serve them at the table.
Enjoy your meal!
Tips and Tricks
Tip 1. MASH THE BANANA WITH A FORK, not a blender – you need a thick mass with pieces in it. A blender will give too runny a batter, and the pancakes will be flat.
Tip 2. CHOOSE ripe bananas with brown speckles – they are sweeter and more fragrant. Green ones give a starchy texture.
Tip 3. COOK ON A DRY FRYING PAN – there is already oil in the batter. Extra oil will make the pancakes greasy and uneven.
Tip 4. WATCH THE BUBBLES on the surface – when they appear steadily and do not burst straight away, it is time to flip. A similar principle works for other kinds of fritters and pancakes.
FAQ
What can I use instead of milk?+
Alternatives: kefir (a more "soured-milk" taste, fluffier pancakes), plant-based milk (coconut, almond, oat – for vegans), water plus 1 tbsp of sour cream (a quick substitute), or baked milk (a caramel note). Milk gives tenderness and the "classic" flavour – without it the pancakes will be drier. With kefir they turn out even fluffier, as the acidic environment activates the baking powder. For extra richness, use full-fat 3.5% milk. It is best not to take skimmed milk, as it will give a rather bland taste.
Why are the pancakes flat and not rising?+
Causes: old baking powder (check the use-by date), batter that is too runny (add more flour), weak heat (bubbles do not form), or banana mashed with a blender. Solution: use fresh baking powder (no more than 6 months after opening), the batter should "stretch" behind the spoon, keep the heat medium-high (so the batter sets and rises at once), and mash the banana with a fork. If they are still flat after this, try increasing the baking powder to 2 tsp or adding 1/2 tsp of baking soda.
How long do the finished pancakes keep?+
In the fridge in a closed container – 2 days. The next day they will dry out a little – reheat them for 20 seconds in the microwave under a damp napkin and the softness will return. They can be frozen for up to 1 month; defrost in the fridge for 6 hours or heat them straight from the freezer in a pan for 2 minutes. At room temperature – 6 hours at most. Pancakes are best in the first hour after cooking – they are fluffy and fragrant. For a "weekend morning", cook them and serve straight away.
What to serve banana pancakes with?+
Classic additions: maple syrup (the American classic), honey plus a handful of nuts, condensed milk (the home-made option), sour cream with icing sugar, a berry sauce (jam with lemon juice), or whipped cream with fresh berries. For children – chocolate spread or home-made jam. For a fitness breakfast – Greek yoghurt with 1 tsp of honey. For guests – "Battenberg style" (alternating colours): tint some of the pancakes with cocoa in the batter and alternate them when serving. As an experiment – caramelised bananas (fried in butter with sugar) on top of the pancakes.
Video preparation
{ytvideo https://youtu.be/JC6vjMS0_Gs|16-9|Banana Pancakes with Milk}
