We have friends in town. Beautiful friends, favorite friends, the kind of friends I’d split BFF necklaces with if I were eight and could scrape together enough allowance for so many bestie charms.
I set out to write about my time with them — about the sweetness and the goodness and the wholeness I feel — but I’m too selfish to want to break away any longer than I have to and they’ll be stateside again before we know it, so INSTEAD I’m going to share a little something sweet and good and whole they made possible by acting as our airway pack mules — our maple syrup and spelt flour connection.
I’ve been tweaking this recipe for a while now, trying to please both my inner health nut and the pancake police I live with, who consider some of the healthy hotcakes I’ve made to be better suited as coasters than breakfast cuisine. Not these bad boys. Check out that fluff…these are no spelt frisbees, my friends.
The following recipe feeds my family of six, though just barely. I almost always double it for sharing or afternoon snacking.
Bestie Banana Spelt Pancakes
2 c spelt flour
3 t baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
1 T sugar or maple sugar
2 eggs
4 T coconut oil
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c rice or almond milk
1/2 t vanilla
salted butter
real maple syrup
In large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, separate egg whites and beat to soft peaks (the secret fluff method). Add yolks and the rest of the wet ingredients, including mashed banana. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Batter should be thick but still pourable (add a little milk as needed – some spelt flours are denser than others). Pour batter on hot, buttery skillet (I like cast iron). Flip pancakes when the edges appear cooked and the tops bubble. Top with butter and warm maple syrup.
Best served hot, savored slowly and enjoyed with your BFFs (isn’t everything?)
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. — JRR Tolkien
02/19/2013 at 4:21 pm
What happens if you use cow’s milk? We have a 3 year-old pancake addict and it would be awesome to have an enticing alternative for him.
02/19/2013 at 5:35 pm
Cow’s milk would probably make them even tastier. Let me know how they turn out!
02/19/2013 at 5:55 pm
Can’t wait to try these! We are pancake/waffle fiends!
02/19/2013 at 8:08 pm
I am keen to try these tonight :)
have you replaced coconut oil with another that has worked ?
thanks!
enjoy the bff!
02/19/2013 at 8:27 pm
I think vegetable oil or melted butter would be just as good. Did I mention that I like butter? ;)
02/20/2013 at 2:53 pm
What is the difference between spelt flour and wheat? We do love our pancakes and maple syrup!
02/23/2013 at 1:56 am
Yumyumyum! We had breakfast-for-dinner tonight & I made these. TERRIFIC! Michelle, I replaced the coconut oil with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce & it was fine. I also didn’t put bananas in mine. Two tips from my grandma, who was a pancake queen: #1: sift the dry ingredients first, or at the very least break up the small clumps with a fork. #2: IMPORTANT!! Don’t overbeat the batter!! That’s what makes tough pancakes. Happy cooking, mamas! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, Beth–I’ve been searching for a good “healthy” pancake :)
02/25/2013 at 3:54 am
These were sooo good! Thanks for sharing, Beth! First time I’ve ever made banana pancakes (or eaten them), and I have to say, I’m converted. :)
03/01/2013 at 1:45 pm
Loved these! We’ve tried many types of pancakes (whole grain, gluten-free) all of which were too dense. These are nice and light but still filling. Note: I didn’t have enough bananas so I substituted some mashed berries I’d frozen last summer (thawed first) and used buttermilk instead of almond. Thanks for sharing – my boys love ‘em!