Monday, February 16, 2009

For the Love of Pancakes


Man, there's just something about pancakes. I can think of few things more comforting, cozy, and satisfying than a big stack of pancakes and a pot of strong coffee shared with my husband on a lazy weekend day. As has been previously mentioned, we really love brunch around here, and I must say that banana pancakes are my personal favorite. This is my tried and true recipe.

I find that the banana provides ample sweetness, especially considering that I'm just going to smother the pancakes in syrup anyway. If you prefer them sweeter, add a tablespoon or two of sugar. Don't skip the carbonated water here - it makes the pancakes light and fluffy.

Banana pancakes
1 over-ripe banana
1 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 cup carbonated water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (opt.)
pinch of salt

Mash the banana with a fork until it's good and mushy. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. (I don't have stress to you the importance of not over mixing your batter, right?)

Preheat griddle or pan to medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Once the pan is hot, ladle the batter onto it in a circular motion. When the edges appear dry and bubbles start forming in the middle, flip the pancakes over and cook for another minute or so.

Transfer cooked pancakes to a covered dish (or to an oven-safe plate and cover with foil) and keep in the oven at 250 degrees F until ready to eat.

While we're on the subject of foods to break one's fast, Shawn's weekday breakfast of choice is bagels. Annoyed with the non-veganness of some cheaper brands and the high cost of some other brands, I recently threw up my hands and said, "Screw it. I'll make my own." I used the recipe from Isa's upcoming brunch book - the aptly-titled Vegan Brunch - subbing half of the flour with whole wheat. The results were delicious (albeit a bit misshapen) bagels on the cheap, son.
ho'made bagels
Word.

No comments: