Ypsi Cooks

I know I’ve done several posts about oats, but really the stuff is amazing: nutty and delicious, easy to cook and super healthy. Molly from the Orangette posted about these pancakes last month and I made them the next day. Tom and I were full after eating just 2. 2!!! We’re the kind of people who eat 5 or 6 1/4 cup pancakes. Not only that, but I thought they were absolutely delicious. Tom, however, was unimpressed. I made them again a few weeks later, because I just couldn’t get enough. But this time Amelia insisted on wah-wah (which is clearly the word for banana, right?), so I decided to add some banana slices*. So we got to it, pouring batter, slicing bananas and flipping in turn. Tom took a bite and said, “These are a lot better than I remember.” A few bites later, “Wow, these are really good.”

*Early in our marriage when Tom first suggested we make banana pancakes, I went to it, smashing up bananas to add to the batter. NOOOOO! The bananas must be sliced and laid on top, similar to blueberries. This is what Tom’s folks have always done. They were introduced to the sliced banana pancake (with coconut syrup) when they were young, childless, and galavanting in Hawaii. To Tom, slices were obvious; to me, it was a pancake revolation. The bananas become gooey and caramelized and add more to a pancake than you would expect from their benign mildness.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Adapted from the Orangette, from the Inn at Fordhook Farm

Blueberries or raspberries sprinkled on top just like the bananas would be good too. (And if you’re using frozen, there’s no need to thaw them. The hot pan will do that for you.) Or don’t add any fruit and serve with a spiced or berried apple sauce.

The night before I get all the dry ingredients ready, set out the eggs and put the butter in a bowl in the microwave. The next morning all I have to do is heat the butter, slice the banana, stir and cook. Practically no thinking involved.

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 cup flour (white whole wheat or all purpose)
1 1/2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted but not hot
1 banana, sliced
Vegetable oil or spray, for greasing the pan
Warm apple sauce or maple syrup, for serving (chopped pecans would be delicious, if you’re being decadent)

The night before:
Combine the oats and milk and yogurt in a medium bowl. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The morning of:
Take the bowl of milk and oats out of the fridge. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Add the eggs and melted butter to the oat mixture, and stir well. Add the flour mixture, and stir to blend. The batter will be very thick.

Warm a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, and brush (or spray) with vegetable oil. To make sure it’s hot enough, wet your fingers under the tap and sprinkle a few droplets of water onto the pan. If they sizzle, it’s ready. Scoop the batter, about a scant _ cup at a time, onto the pan, taking care not to crowd them. Lay a few banana slices on each cake. When the underside is nicely browned and the top looks set around the edges, flip the pancakes. Cook until the second side has browned.

Re-grease the skillet, and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve hot, with the toppings of your choice.

Yield: about 16 pancakes, 4 or more servings

Tags: oatmeal

This entry was posted on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 7:55 am and is filed under Food, Things we Made. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.