Listen: “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep”- Bombay Bicycle Club
Joyeux fête de Pères! J’espére nous sommes contents et en bonne santé.
This Father’s Day, my family was planning on our usual festive fare of can-based cinnamon rolls, bacon (for my dad and sister), OJ, and coffee, when I mentioned that I wanted to try making peanut butter pancakes.
If you don’t already know, I’m a peanut butter enthusiast. At least 1/3 of my daily caloric intake comes from some form of nut butter. I eat it with everything (but I’m especially fond of an almond butter/carrot/cinnamon/oatmeal combo). This level of devotion is sort of weird for my family, because when I left for college a year ago, I had avoided peanut butter for 18 years. Also, I had a protein deficiency.
Anyway, scientists are still figuring out exactly what happened, but the basic equation goes something like this:
Kaiya Malou + Portland (rain?? coffee?? birds?? runs??)= nut butter for ALL THE MEALS.
My Father likes peanut butter too, so under the guise of celebration, my dream of a peanut-buttery breakfast delight was realized.
I used:
First, whisk together the whole wheat flour, white flour, and baking powder in a large bowl. Baking powder is a double-acting baking ingredient and already includes an acidifying ingredient, so unless you are already using an acidic ingredient in your pancakes (buttermilk, yogurt, etc.) it is important to use baking powder, NOT baking soda. After mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, allowing your batter to sit will give the double-acting powder more time to leaven the batter, resulting in fluffier pancakes (for more really helpful tips for fluffy pancakes, click HERE).
Next, heat the milk in a small pot or sauce pan. Don’t turn the heat up too quickly or your milk will scorch!
Add the peanut butter and brown sugar (YUM) to the milk and stir. Both should dissolve into the milk and you will end up with a beautiful brown ambrosia (really– this is what god’s drink).
When everything is dissolved in the milk, it’s time to whisk your wet and dry ingredients together! Add the milk mixture and eggs into the flour mixture and stir. Don’t worry too much about clumps– over-stirring will make your pancakes too thick.
Time to griddle those suckers! I ate mine with bananas and drizzled honey on top;
but I also made a chocolate-chip version for my siblings and Dad;
which made for a pretty awesome breakfast. Ah, peanut butter. I’ll see you again in my dreams.
PEANUT BUTTER PANCAKES:
serves 5-6.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 & 1/2 cups milk
honey, banana, chocolate chips (OPTIONAL)
Whisk together the flours and baking powder in a large bowl. On the stove, heat milk and stir in peanut butter and brown sugar until it dissolves. Add milk mixture and eggs to flour and combine. Fry pancakes, top with banana slices and honey, chocolate chips, jam, or fruit, and let your taste buds love you.
– Kaiya