Bill Granger's Oaty Hotcakes with Caramel Bananas

Sunday breakfast treat

I was reminded of hotcakes last Friday (in reference to an old post I did on McDonalds's hot cakes when they made a short appearance in Kuala Lumpur) and started hankering for the sweet soft taste of fluffy and piping hot ones, straight from the pan. Since it was virtually impossible to get good ones in town, I decided to whip up a batch of hotcakes based on Bill Granger's recipe.


1. spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture, 2. once bubbles appear, 3. time to flip them, 4. they will be brown on one side, cook for another 2 minutes

One shouldn't hurry these - just relax and make them preferably in your comfy pajamas (with a large apron tied over them to prevent any spills) on a lazy Sunday morning. While Granger called these oaty hotcakes, I must admit they didn't have much oats in them, so please feel free to add more oats to give it a healthier edge. Once all the work is done, just sit down and enjoy these fluffy babies with the not overly sweet caramel bananas or maple syrup (if one is lazy) - they'll definitely make your day or weekend! For more pictures, see my Flickr set.

Oaty Hotcakes with Caramel Bananas

Makes 4 servings or 2 servings (if you are very hungry!)
(Adapted from Bill Granger's Feed Me Now)

hotcakes

185g plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon caster sugar

25g rolled oats (or more, if preferred)

375ml buttermilk, made by adding 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar to 375ml milk
1 medium egg, lightly beaten

35g butter, and extra to grease the pan

caramel bananas
3 bananas
60g butter
90g soft brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

To make hotcakes: In a measuring cup, if not using buttermilk, mix white wine vinegar with milk and set aside for 5 minutes before using. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. Place in a large bowl. Add sugar and oats; mix to combine. Crack an egg into the milk mixture and beat lightly. Make a well in the bowl with flour mixture, slowly add egg and milk mixture, beating lightly with a small whisk or spoon to combine. Add melted butter and stir to combine. Set aside. Heat non stick frying pan, add a little melted butter to coat pan. Once pan is hot, spoon in 2 tablespoons of batter. When bubbles appear on the surface, turn and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Remove and continue cooking until batter is finished. You may keep the hotcakes warm in an oven before serving.

To make caramel bananas: Halve bananas lengthways and slice into three pieces. In a medium frying pan, add butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and water. Heat over medium heat , stirring constantly until mixture forms a caramel and darkens. Add bananas and toss until combined. Remove from heat and serve with hotcakes immediately.