I love recipes for two. It usually means less dishes, no wasting, and if it’s a splurge meal, I can totally finish all of it without feeling the least bit guilty! When going out for brunch or breakfast, I rarely ever order pancakes because I know I can never finish them or my tummy with surely burst. That’s why when I do eat pancakes, I love making them at home so there’s just enough for Roy and I.
Remember that Jack Johnson song about Banana Pancakes? A few Sundays ago, I woke up to the pitter-patter of rain outside my window. Mom was watching a Lifetime movie as I sleepily made my way into the kitchen. We had planned on going on a hike, but the rain and wind had made it the kind of day where you just want to curl up by the TV with a big blanket. We busied ourselves in the kitchen, making fried rice and banana pancakes as my Dad did some work in his office. We listened to Jack Johnson songs and I showed my mom how to make buttermilk out of lemon juice and whole milk (fun fact: we actually sat behind him and his family on the plane ride back to LAX!).
When the foods done, I call my Dad in. I can always tell if he’s heard me from the heavy footsteps I hear running towards the kitchen. When he appears in the doorway he’ll say something like “YEEHAW” or “WOO HOO HOO” when he sees the food and shakas with both hands as my mom and I exchange looks of “yup, that’s the man you married!” Sunday was the slow kind of morning I don’t get too often, which makes it a memory I’ll hold tight.
Roy’s not a big breakfast eater unless we’re talking eggs and bacon, but this recipe has his stamp of approval! It’s quick and super simple to put together, something I find necessary as the very un-morning person I am. The recipe yields about 6-8 pancakes depending on how big you make them, which is a perfect amount for just two people. These banana pancakes are moist and dense, and not too sweet either which gives you full control when it comes to adding maple syrup or powdered sugar.
I know not everyone has buttermilk on hand—I sure don’t! But if you do have milk and a lemon in your fridge, then you’ve got everything you need for buttermilk. There have been so many times in the past that I’ve wanted to make something and didn’t have buttermilk, and then there were times I had way too much buttermilk. I’ve since learned that keeping whole milk and lemons around is the best way to go. They’re such staples in the kitchen and best of all, together you get homemade buttermilk!
P.S. Look at Meli trying to get in on all the pancake action! I actually had to put her on the other side of the house so she would stop getting in the middle of all the photos!
Banana Pancakes for Two
Adapted from Joy the Baker
Recipe notes: This recipe makes about 6-8 pancakes, around 3-3.5 inches in diameter. I usually don’t have buttermilk on hand but you can make your own. For this recipe, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to 3/4 cup of milk. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to curdle, then you’ve got some buttermilk!
Ingredients
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp dried oats
4 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice/white vinegar)
splash of vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, smashed
1. In one small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and smashed bananas.
2. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and stir till combined.
3. Warm your pan on medium-low heat. Grease it with butter or cooking spray between pancake batches. Spoon the batter onto the pan. When bubbles begin forming in the middle of the pancake and the edges are no longer completely liquidy, the pancake should be ready to flip.
4. Serve warm with slices of banana, maple syrup or powdered sugar.
