Recipe Background
These banana bread pancakes bring rustic charm with a camping story twist, perfect for adventurous mornings.
When my partner and I went on our first camping trip together, we packed everything except the kitchen sink—and bananas. By the end of our four-day adventure, those poor bananas were overripe, almost begging not to be eaten plain. On a whim, I suggested combining them with a few staple ingredients we had on hand: flour, a single egg, a splash of milk, and a generous handful of walnuts. The goal was a hearty breakfast to fuel our hike, but these pancakes turned into something special. As we cooked over a propane stove, the smell of melting butter and bananas wafted through the morning air, mixing with the calls of distant birds, creating a memory I'll always cherish.
Back then, I didn't have the luxury of a whisk, let alone a nonstick pan. Yet, it taught me the importance of letting the pancake batter rest those crucial ten minutes, ensuring each pancake was delightfully fluffy, even on a camping stove. Now, when I make these pancakes at home, I always let the batter settle. A good cooking tip I picked up later was placing the pancakes on a preheated plate to keep them warm while finishing the batch. Whenever I top them with sliced bananas and a drizzle of maple syrup, I'm transported back to that peaceful morning by the lake, a reminder of simple joys and shared adventures.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large ripe banana plus more, to taste, sliced, for topping
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted, plus more, room temperature, to taste
- 1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped
- maple syrup optional, to taste, for serving
Directions
- Combine the flour, the salt, the baking powder, and the baking soda in a small bowl with a whisk.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the 1 ripe banana and mash it into a smooth paste.
- Add the egg and the sugar to the mashed banana and whisk thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the milk, the vanilla, 1/4 cup of the melted butter, the walnuts, and the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. This is a critical step in making sure the pancakes are as fluffy as possible.
- Melt some of the extra butter in a large, nonstick pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the pan is hot and the butter is melted, add about 1/3 cup of the batter.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the edges start to look dry and small air bubbles pop up through the surface, about 3 minutes.
- Flip and cook the other side of the pancake until golden-brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
- Repeat the cooking process with the rest of the batter, adding more of the extra butter to the pan as needed.
- Top with the extra sliced bananas, drizzled with the maple syrup, and serve immediately.
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