Buttermilk pancakes with miso caramel sauce and bananas

Do you know that feeling when you hear about a certain flavor combination every now and then and you keep thinking: I absolutely have to try that?

That’s how I felt with Miso and caramel. The Asian seasoning paste, usually made from fermented soybeans, is more commonly known from the savoury sector. And I have read about the sweet side of things from time to time. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it…

So here is one of my favorite pancake recipes (based on the basic recipe from the stepford husband!), which I make almost every weekend. If you follow me on Instagram, you know what I’m talking about ;-)! And this time in combination with a heavenly miso caramel sauce and baked bananas. I’m definitely going to hell for this (breakfast) sin, but we enjoyed it so much that the recipe absolutely has to be on the blog.

You have to like salty and sweet, but the (light) miso paste actually gives the sauce an incredibly good drive. I had to test it out for myself first. But if you like salted caramel, you’ll adore miso caramel. Yes, I know. High-sounding words. But believe me, that’s not a coincidence. Miso is not “just” salty, but has a much more complex taste. And that’s exactly what gives the whole thing that certain something.

The baked bananas simply go well with both caramel and miso, hence this choice. But I can also imagine caramelized pineapple, apples, pears or even citrus fruits going well with it.

OK, now let’s quickly check the ingredients and surprise your loved one soon. I’m not really a fan of Valentine’s Day, but a delicious breakfast is always nice ;-)…

By the way: This pancake recipe is our all-time favorite! No annoying egg-breaking. No 1000 bowls. Mixes together in no time and is always fluffy and delicious!

Buttermilk pancakes with miso caramel sauce and baked bananas

Ingredients for a big pile of pancakes (enough for about 1-2 adults and two even hungrier toddlers):
80g butter
1/2 l buttermilk
4 eggs
1 pinch of salt
240 g wheat flour
1 tbsp baking soda (baking soda – not baking powder ;-))
1 tsp ground cinnamon powder (I use Ceylon cinnamon)
1 vanilla pod (the scraped pulp is needed)

For the miso caramel:
100 g brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
100 g cream
2 tsp light miso paste (from the Asian store)

For the bananas:
2 tbsp butter
2 small bananas
a few teaspoons of coconut flakes for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
First, melt the butter in a pan. Then put the butter in a mixing bowl. Do not wipe out the pan – the remaining butter can simply be used for frying pancakes later.

Add the remaining ingredients for the buttermilk pancakes to the melted butter in the mixing bowl. Be sure to sift the flour and baking soda over the top. Experience shows that the pancake batter will be softer/fluffier. Then mix all the ingredients with a whisk until there are no lumps and set aside.

If you’re not into multitasking, you can now bake the buttermilk pancakes one after the other in the buttered pan and then keep them warm in the gently preheated oven. I always spread a few blobs of batter over medium heat per pan load, as I like the pancakes smaller, but that’s a matter of taste, of course. Only turn the buttermilk pancakes once. They should be turned when small bubbles “pop” on the top. Do this with all the batter.

For experienced pancake bakers, frying can be done on the side and you can also devote yourself to the sauce and bananas in the meantime. If that’s too stressful for you (especially in the morning), you can do them one after the other. Important: The pancake batter shouldn’t be left to stand for too long. You should mix it and then just work it in successive batches. This is because buttermilk and baking soda work their magic when combined, but this effect would fizzle out if you put the whole thing aside for an hour.

A little tip for a little more morning relaxation: Simply sieve and weigh the dry ingredients, vanilla pulp and cinnamon and put them in a covered bowl the night before, and then just take the butter, buttermilk and eggs out of the fridge the next morning and mix them together. That way you don’t have to get out the scales in the morning 😉

Now for the sauce and bananas: For the miso caramel sauce, slowly melt the sugar in a pan. At first it seems like nothing is happening (for ages) and then suddenly it happens really quickly. So make sure you stay with it! Once the sugar has melted and caramelized slightly, reduce the heat and add the butter, cream and miso paste. Be careful when adding it, as the mixture can splatter. As soon as the sugar, which may have solidified a little for a short time, becomes liquid again, simply stir the sauce and set it aside. By adding butter and cream, the whole thing will never be rock solid again, so you can prepare the miso caramel sauce well in advance and keep it in the fridge for a few days.

Melt the butter for the bananas in a small pan. Peel the bananas, cut them into slices that are not too thin and allow them to caramelize slowly on both sides.

Serve the buttermilk pancakes with the miso caramel sauce and the baked bananas. If you like, you can sprinkle some coconut flakes on top before serving.

Bon appetit!

Tip: If you want the pancakes to be extra high and particularly thick and all the same size, just use thoroughly greased metal dessert or serving rings. Just be careful when lifting them, as they get extremely hot ;-)…