Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 bananas, very ripe
• butter
• salt

Method

Mashed banana acts as both binder and leavening agent here — the pectin and starch from overripe fruit absorb moisture and stabilise the crumb, whilst the natural sugars caramelise on the pan and help set the crust. This is quick-breads logic: minimal gluten development, maximum lift from baking-powder.

Whisk the dry ingredients together — 240g flour, 15g caster sugar, 10g baking powder, and a pinch of salt — in a large bowl. The baking powder needs even distribution or you'll get dense patches alongside aerated ones. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and 240ml milk until fully combined, then pour into the flour. Mix with a spatula using broad strokes until just incorporated; small lumps are fine and even desirable. Overmixing develops gluten, which tightens the crumb and makes the pancakes tough. Peel two very ripe bananas — they should have dark brown spots or be almost entirely blackened — and mash them roughly with a fork. Fold the banana into the batter gently; some small lumps of banana will disappear during cooking and add texture.

Heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat for two minutes, then add enough butter to coat the base generously. Once foaming, drop 60ml portions of batter into the pan — this gives you a pancake roughly 10cm across, thick enough to cook through without drying. Don't crowd the pan; three pancakes maximum. Watch for tiny bubbles to rise through the surface and break — this signals that pan-frying heat has set the base and steam has formed throughout. This takes 2 to 3 minutes depending on your pan's thermal mass. Flip once only and cook the second side for 60 to 90 seconds until golden-brown; the banana sugars will darken more aggressively than a plain batter, so medium-brown rather than dark mahogany is your target.

Transfer finished pancakes to a warmed plate and eat immediately, whilst the interior is still steaming and soft. Holding them risks drying out the crumb. Stack them if you're cooking in batches, but avoid covering with a lid or cloth — trapped steam makes them soggy.