Banana pancakes, Jack Johnson style.

Being the massive foodie that I am, it doesn't take much to inspire me to want to cook something. Mostly it's reading food magazines/blogs, watching cooking shows and seeing what other people have been out eating. Sometimes all it can be is a forgotten song that comes on shuffle while my ancient iPod is playing. This happened to me last week while at work, Jack Johnson's song 'banana pancakes' came on and there it was, the seed had been planted. Luckily I had some bananas happily browning in the fruit bowl and a relatively free Sunday.

I found a few recipes online but tweaked them slightly as I always like to do. It was a hairy bikers recipe but I decided to boost the banana ratio and whip up the egg whites for fluffiness as bananas can sometimes have a rubbery effect when baking with them. I was pleased with the results and would really recommend them for a weekend treat. Served with crispy bacon, cut up banana and maple syrup (though personally I prefer golden syrup for this,) it's the kind of meal that will keep you going all day. 

Banana pancakes

Serves 2

135g self raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg yolk

2 egg whites

1 tbsp light soft brown sugar

150ml milk

1 banana, mashed with a fork

A dash of oil and knob of butter for frying with. 

Start by weighing out the dry ingredients and adding the yolk to the mashed banana.

Put your whites in a dry very clean bowl and whisk to medium peaks. It should be firm but not too stiff.

Make a well in the flour and start to add the milk, slowly using the whisk to mix it in to the flour. You should have a paste with no lumps of flour. You'll want to mix it in 3 parts. 

Once you have a smooth paste, fold in the banana mix, then whipped egg whites in two parts. 

Take a heavy bottomed pan and heat a bit of butter and oil until it starts to foam. Spoon in the mix, it should make roughly 6-8 pancakes depending on size. They are ready to flip when you start to see bubbles forming. 

Cook on both sides until golden brown then serve immediately.