I have a sweet tooth to end all sweet tooths. And yet, somehow, traditional pancakes are too sweet for me. The heavy batter, when combined with incomparable but intense maple syrup, would leave me feeling rather queasy. Sometimes I would eat them without syrup, but they often didn't taste right that way either.
Eventually I discovered the secret to the perfect pancake experience. First, I make the batter from scratch. It's quick and easy and this way I avoid overly sweet mixes. (I have nothing against mixes and I'm sure there are some great ones out there, but all I can say is that when I discovered how easy pancake batter is to make, I tossed my crappy mix that gave me heavy, leathery, funny tasting cakes and never looked back.)
Second, I eat them plain or with jam, not with syrup. Don't get me wrong, I love maple syrup. It's just a bit much first thing in the morning. I prefer my sweets later in the day.
Once I discovered how to make a pancake I loved, I made a lot of them. My all-time favorite recipe was this one. Sadly, amaranth flour is not for sale in all parts of the country, but here in the Pacific Northwest it's part of the Bob's Red Mill line of specialty flours.
These pancakes are crammed with flavor before you dress them up at all. Due to the use of amaranth and whole wheat, they're also slightly higher in protein than traditional recipes.
And if you, like most people, like your pancakes drizzled with liquid tree blood, that works too.
Amaranth Banana Pancakes
Mix:
In separate bowl, mix:
Combine two bowls and mix. Adjust the thickness of the batter by adding a little water or a little flour if necessary. It will be thick and lumpy, but should be thin enough so that when you ladel it on to the griddle, it oozes into a disk about 1/4" thick.
Fry on griddle set to 350°F. It isn't necessary to butter the griddle, but doing so will give a slightly crispy, buttery edge. Fry one side until bubbles develop. Then flip once and fry until ready.
The above recipe serves a crowd. It can be cut in half if desired.