Very early on in my Substack writing experience, I published a post about the importance of nutrition and noted some of the food that powers my day (see: “Food for Thought”). In this post, I will elaborate on one of the breakfast items I mentioned, which are high protein pancakes.
Like Paul Bunyon, I love a nice tall, hot and fluffy stack of pancakes. Also like Paul Bunyon, I exert an extraordinary amount of energy by engaging in strenuous physical activity. So my pancakes need to be full of all the right nutritional elements that will fuel my post-breakfast training sessions.
I hope I don’t sound too smug in saying this, but you’re about to read a recipe from a guy who knows a thing or two about making pancakes. When I was about seven years old, I was a finalist in a children’s recipe competition sponsored by Success Rice. All of the winners were supposed to fly out to Los Angeles and participate in a live and televised cooking demonstration, but for a reason that escapes my memory, it didn’t happen. What a bummer, because I was really looking forward to missing a week of school…Anyways, they did end up publishing a very sweet cookbook, and my recipe for pancake sandwiches kicks things off in the breakfast section!
So please enjoy the following recipe for protein pancakes (which you can also turn into a pancake sandwich) by an officially published chef!
First up, an annotated list of ingredients:
Almond flour - I like the taste of almond flour, but the main reason I use it is that it’s also high in protein. Regular ol’ whole wheat flour can also be used too if that’s all you have on hand. You can also go the gluten free route by simply using gluten free all purpose flour that has added xanthan gum. One cup of flour will do the trick!
Baking powder - This is a key item that will give a little rise and fluffiness to the pancakes. Like Franz and Hans will do to your muscles in the gym, the baking powder will pump your pancakes up! You’ll be measuring out and using one teaspoon of baking powder.
Salt - You only need to use a pinch, but salt is key in baking because it will activate the leavening agent in either baking powder or baking soda, hence making them rise and shine with fluffy goodness. I’ll get rather salty if my pancakes aren’t fluffy, so do add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, pretty please!
Sweetener of choice - With a last name like Zucker, you’d think this would be my favorite part. However, I often skip the sweetener since I’ll be adding fruit and/or maple syrup to these delectable pancakes later. If you have a sweet tooth, then go for it. I honestly just use regular ol’ sugar or honey if I am fancy enough to have it in the pantry. I currently have agave nectar, so that’s what I’ve been using. I add one tablespoon of the sweet stuff in these pancakes.
Banana - Two quite ripe bananas, which you will peel and mash with all your might!
*Pro tip: the more ripe the bananas are, the easier they will be to mash.
Eggs - Here’s the second protein packed item, and they’re loaded with vitamin B12 too! I use two eggs.
Vanilla extract - For some extra flavoring…One teaspoon.
Water, almond milk or oat milk - Almond milk is obviously my choice if I have it, because it adds even more protein. Oat milk has much less protein, but obviously more than water! You need a 1/2 cup of whatever mixing liquid you choose.
Pea Protein Powder - Here’s where 99.9% of the protein in the pancakes will come from. Each serving size is a whopping twenty-four grams of protein! It also contains high concentrations of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to fuel your muscles! I get my protein powder from Nuts.com. You’ll measure out one and 1/2 tablespoons. You can essentially use any type of protein powder, but I really enjoy the sweet, somewhat earthy (yet subtle) taste of the pea protein powder.
Matcha Powder - I’m currently on a big green tea kick, so I’ve been incorporating matcha powder into my breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love the smokey, rich taste that the matcha gives these pancakes. Plus, matcha has incredible health benefits such as being loaded with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is the crème de la crème of antioxidants. For these pancakes, I add between one and two tablespoons of matcha powder. I get my 100% matcha green tea powder from Nuts.com.
Ok, so you’ve got your mise en place, oui? Then let’s start the cooking process:
In one bowl, add the almond flour, baking powder, pea powder, matcha powder and salt, and whisk everything together really well. In another bowl, add the honey/agave/sugary-sweet item, the mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla extract and almond/oat milk or water. Stir it with all your might until everything is combined.
Then you add the contents of the first bowl (i.e the dry items) into the second bowl (i.e. the wet items) and mix it all really well. The fruits of your labor should result in a thick batter being formed.
Now it’s time to cook with fire! Oil up a non-stick pan, skillet or cast iron with a little bit of olive oil and place it over medium heat. Scoop out a spoonful of the batter (approximately 1/4 cup portions) and pour it onto the pan. Cook each side on medium heat for about one minute and a half, or until you start to see bubbles forming in the batter. Set your oven to “keep warm,” and place each cooked pancake on a parchment paper lined baking tray so that they remain at a perfect pancake temperature until you’re ready to eat them. Also, note that they do freeze well, so any leftovers can be safely stored in your freezer.
Bon appetit!