EGG-FREE + BANANA-FREE Kitschy Kitchen Sink Pancakes!
EGG-FREE + BANANA-FREE Kitschy Kitchen Sink Pancakes!
Breakfast for Dinner! What's better, really? These pancakes remind us of Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich, mainly because that sandwich is composed of ingredients that work so well together. Still, you may not believe it until you try them for yourself: bananas, peanut butter, and bacon. They're kind of like our Kitchen Sink Pancakes, although there's no bacon, peanut butter, or banana in this Egg-Free + Banana-Free version. Instead, we're tossing a whole lot of random ingredients into a simple three-ingredient pancake batter. Beyond that, it's up to you and your kid chefs to decide what you add to these! Potato chips, pretzels, chocolate chips, coconut, grated sweet potato, dried fruit—a pancake will take it all. Every culture has a pancake of some variety, and not all types are sweet. For example, the French have crepes, Koreans have pajeon, and the Japanese have okonomiyaki. In the United States, National Pancake Day is March 12. Have fun, and tell us what brilliant combinations you and your kids come up with!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- chop :
to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.
- fold :
to gently and slowly mix a light ingredient into a heavier ingredient so as not to lose air and to keep the mixture tender, such as incorporating whipped egg whites into a cake batter or folding blueberries into pancake batter; folding is a gentler action than mixing or whisking.
- knife skills :
Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls).
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- stir :
to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!
- wet vs dry :
to mix wet and dry ingredients separately before combining them: dry ingredients are flours, leavening agents, salt, and spices; wet ingredients are those that dissolve or can be dissolved (sugar, eggs, butter, oils, honey, vanilla, milk, and juices).
Equipment Checklist
- Medium skillet
- Mixing bowl
- Cutting board + kid-safe knife
- Dry measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- Wooden spoon
- Pancake turner or heat-resistant spatula
Ingredients
EGG-FREE + BANANA-FREE Kitschy Kitchen Sink Pancakes!
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour)**
- 1 T baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 T sugar
- 1 C whole milk **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free milk)**
- 2 T water
- 2 T vegetable oil + more for cooking
- Kitchen sink add-ins:
- 1 grated apple, carrot, zucchini, peeled red beet, small sweet potato, or pear
- 1 orange or lemon (for zest)
- 1/4 C fresh berries
- 1 C pretzels **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY omit or sub gluten-free/nut-free pretzels)**
- 1 C potato chips **(Choose a NUT-FREE brand without peanut or other nut oil)**
- 1/2 C grated coconut **(Omit for COCONUT ALLERGY)**
- 1/4 C chocolate chips **(for CHOCOLATE ALLERGY sub carob chips and for NUT/DAIRY/SOY ALLERGY use Enjoy Life chocolate chips)**
- 1/4 C raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dried apricots
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch cardamom
- 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY use certified gluten-free brand, like McCormick)**
Food Allergen Substitutions
EGG-FREE + BANANA-FREE Kitschy Kitchen Sink Pancakes!
- Gluten/Wheat: Substitute gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour. Omit pretzels or sub gluten-free/nut-free pretzels for add-in. Use certified gluten-free pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla flavor.
- Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free milk. Use Enjoy Life chocolate chips for add-in.
- Coconut: Omit grated coconut for add-in.
- Chocolate: Substitute carob chips for chocolate chips for add-in.
- Nut: Choose a potato chip brand for add-in without peanut or other nut oil. Use Enjoy Life chocolate chips for add-in.
- Soy: Use Enjoy Life chocolate chips for add-in.
Instructions
EGG-FREE + BANANA-FREE Kitschy Kitchen Sink Pancakes!
measure + add
Measure and add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl: 11/4 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 pinch of salt. Then measure and add the wet ingredients to a separate mixing bowl: 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons water, and 2 tablespoons oil.
add + fold
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold until the flour disappears.
chop + add + stir
Chop, slice, grate, zest, crumble, or break apart whatever add-ins you've chosen, then add them to your pancake mixture and stir again until well combined.
melt + pour + flip
Melt butter or oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Add 1/4 cupfuls of batter to your skillet and cook pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes on one side until golden brown on the bottom, then carefully flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Serve pancakes with All Shook Up Chocolate Butter (see recipe)!
Hi! I’m Flour!
"Happy Baking, Friends! I'm Flour, and I'm a VIP (Very Important Powder)! I'm really quite useful (and humble). You can use me to make breads, cakes, cookies, crackers, crumpets, doughnuts, muffins, pancakes, pasta, waffles, and more. (Which is your favorite?) I can coat vegetables and meats before frying them in oil, and you can combine me with a fat to make a roux to thicken sauces and gravies. You can even make play dough and glue with me. Can you see now why I'm a VIP?"
History
- Around 8,000 to 15,000 years ago, people discovered that they could crush wheat seeds between simple grindstones to make flour.
- When you grind cereal grains, beans, seeds, or roots (like cassava), they become a powder, resulting in flour. Some of the grains besides wheat that can be ground into flour are rye, buckwheat, barley, corn, oat, and rice. Other foods used to make flour are potatoes, acorns, mesquite, cassava, soybeans, garbanzo beans (or chickpeas), amaranth, and even bananas!
- Flour is the primary component of bread, and bread is a staple in many countries. Therefore, sufficient amounts of flour are critical, which has caused major economic and political issues at various times throughout history.
Anatomy & Etymology
- Before grains are ground into flour, they are whole pieces taken from a plant.
- Each kernel of wheat consists of three parts: the coarse outer bran layer (which contains most of the fiber), the germ, and the endosperm. The endosperm stores the grain's starch, a carbohydrate that the body uses to create energy. Other foods that contain starch are potatoes, pasta, and rice.
- Whole-wheat flour is the result of grinding or milling the whole grain. It contains all three parts of the kernel—bran, endosperm, and germ.
- White flour has been refined or polished and bleached to remove the bran. As a result, white flour has less fiber than whole-wheat flour and fewer nutrients, too.
- The word "flour" is originally a variant of the word "flower." Both derive from the Old French "fleur" or "flour," literally "blossom," and figuratively "the finest" (of the milled grain).
How Flour is made
- Flour is made in nearly every country in the world.
- First, farmers plant wheat seeds, and plants begin to grow. Then, when they are ready to harvest, farmers collect them with giant machines called combines.
- Combines cut, separate, and clean the wheat at the same time. The grain must be completely dry before storing, so farmers don't harvest it when it's rainy.
- Then, they transfer the flour to a mill (a building where grains are ground into flour), where a miller will oversee the grinding of the wheat grain into flour.
- One whole wheat grain makes over 20,000 particles of flour!
Nutrition
- Flour contains protein and is a significant source of carbohydrates.
- Carbohydrates are a direct source of energy for the body. Our bodies first have to make some changes to the carbohydrates, but then they are quickly converted to energy by our cells.
- Fiber helps to keep our intestines happy, feeding the good bacteria in our gut. Whole-wheat, unbleached flour is an excellent source of fiber.
- Whole wheat contains essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
- Organic, unbleached flour is the healthiest.
- Wheat-free and gluten-free flours are vital to people who have celiac disease, wheat allergies, or gluten intolerance (or non-celiac gluten sensitivity). Varieties of gluten-free flours include those made from: almonds, amaranth, buckwheat, corn, garbanzo beans (or chickpeas), millet, quinoa, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and teff.
History of Pancakes!
- Archaeological evidence suggests that pancake varieties are probably the earliest and most widespread foods made from cereal grains. Prehistoric societies mixed dry, carbohydrate-rich seed flours with available protein-rich liquids, usually milk and eggs, and baked the resulting batters on hot stones or in shallow earthenware pots over an open fire. These early pancakes formed a nutritious and highly palatable foodstuff.
- Pancakes are a universal food found in some variations from Africa to Asia to Europe and South America.
- Globally, there are at least 100 types of pancakes. To name a few, they include crepes, blinis, latkes (potato pancakes), pajeon, æbleskiver, crumpets, galettes, okonomiyaki, milcao, and Dutch baby pancakes.
- A pancake is usually a flat, round cake prepared from a batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. In some countries, it's thinner, more like a crepe, and in the United States, it's usually thicker and more fluffy.
- Most pancakes are quick breads; however, some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter.
- Pancakes can be sweet or savory. Depending on the region, pancakes may be served at any time, with various toppings or fillings, including jam, chocolate chips, fruit, syrup, or meat.
- In different parts of the US, pancakes may be called flapjacks, griddle cakes, hotcakes, or slapjacks.
- One man (and giant pancake fan!) ran a marathon while tossing a pancake every 2 seconds for a continuous 3 hours, 2 minutes, and 27 seconds!
Let's Learn About "Kitschy" and "Everything but the Kitchen Sink!"
Kitschy
- "Kitschy" is an adjective that describes items generally considered tacky, overly popular, too sentimental, or low in quality.
- Examples of kitschy things might include a large pair of dice hanging from a car's rearview mirror, a dashboard hula dancer, and paintings of Elvis Presley on a black velvet background.
"Everything but the Kitchen Sink!"
- The saying "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" refers to a much larger number of things than is necessary.
- It originated from a very similar late 19th-century phrase, "everything but the stove." A version swapping out "stove" for "kitchen sink" was included in an article in a New York newspaper, "The Syracuse Herald," in 1918.
- Similar expressions are: "everything under the sun" and "the whole kit and caboodle."
To Sum it All Up
- Our Kitschy Kitchen Sink Pancakes (see recipe) are very popular because kids can choose and prepare all their "kitchen sink" add-ins. They might even use some as toppings to create a sentimental picture on their pancakes. However, although the choice of add-ins seems like "everything but the kitchen sink," they are high in quality, tasteful, and fun!
That's Berry Funny
What did mama cow say to baby calf?
It’s pasture bedtime.
That's Berry Funny
What do you call a cow that doesn’t give milk?
A milk dud!
Lettuce Joke Around
Why does a milking stool have only three legs?
Because the cow has the udder!
THYME for a Laugh
How do you make a pancake smile?
Butter him up!
That's Berry Funny
What's the best pancake topping?
More pancakes!
That's Berry Funny
What do bakers give their moms on Mother's Day?
Flours!
THYME for a Laugh
What did the yeast say to the bag of flour?
Come on! We knead to be serious!
The Yolk's On You
Did you hear about the angry pancake?
He just flipped.
THYME for a Laugh
What dinosaur loves pancakes?
A tri-syrup-tops!
