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I figured this one out in the closing days of the last Recipe Challenge, but didn't bother to check when the deadline was, so I missed out. But, that won't stop me from sharing it. Here's the link to my food blog:
https://absolute0cooking.com/recipe/light-pancakes/
When I first decided to make a light pancake, I did what I always do: I searched on-line. The first thing I found was a recipe that used oats, bananas, and milk. This created something that looked like a pancake, but was spongy and somewhat crunchy because of the oats. Even worse, it was much heavier than what I came up with here. Here's what they looked like on the griddle:
I spent the first 3 paragraphs of the post that I started on those "oat cakes" just explaining what they were, since I didn't really consider them to be pancakes. They weren't bad, but they also weren't quite what I wanted.
Then, I decided to start over.
I did see recipes that used eggs in what looked like a huge proportion: 2 whole eggs for each banana?? No wonder one reviewer remarked that the pancakes tasted like "banana omelets". So, I decided to try again, but take out the thing that makes eggs taste eggy in a recipe: the yolk. I then went an extra step by whipping the egg whites into a froth to add air to the batter.
Finally, one thing I missed in the oat cakes was a total lack of crispness. No matter how long I cooked those, they never got crisp. I know, the first thing you do with pancakes is smother them with syrup, but I want them to be somewhat firm on the surface so they don't turn into a pile of mush. So, I added a small amount of flour to these. But, they're only 43 calories this way (compared to about 65 for a regular pancake), and they really do feel like a regular pancake.
Wait...there's more. Some recipes show vanilla extract and sweetener as optional ingredients. I feel that they're essential. Otherwise, you'll have a tasteless pancake. Again, I know they you're going to have them swimming in syrup anyway. But, if you have tasteless pancakes, you might as well just pour the syrup on a plate and eat it that way. You will notice the difference.
Ingredients
6 egg whites
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Swerve All natural sweetener
3 medium bananas (the riper, the better)
3 tablespoons flour (any kind will do, but I used All Purpose)
Directions
1. Add egg whites, sweetener, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix until the egg whites are frothy. I know it looks like I have yolks in here, but I don't (the yellow tinge is from the vanilla extract).
2. Mash up bananas and add to the bowl along with flour. Mix using regular mixer attachments. A few small lumps of banana throughout is completely acceptable.
3. Spray whatever surface you plan to cook the batter on with cooking spray. This same recipe also works on waffles, and doesn't seem to require more spray than normal. Place an equal amount of batter in circles that aren't touching.
4. Cook until you start to see a browning along the base. Flip each pancake over carefully: the batter is a bit thinner - and these weigh less - than a regular pancake batter. When done, remove to a cooling rack to keep them from getting soggy, or serve immediately with sugar free syrup (and light butter, if you like).
5. Reapply spray to the surface until the batter is used up. Stack them as high as you want: they're only 43 calories each...it's practically like you're eating a stack of bananas!
6. If you're making waffles, check to make sure they're done enough for your tastes. Reapply cooking spray between each batch.
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