Known amongst the craft beer community as The Beer Wench, Ashley Routson is a self-proclaimed craft beer evangelist and social media maven on a mission to advance the craft beer industry through education, inspiration and advocacy. Ashley is currently “Director of Awesomeness” at Bison Brewing opens in a new tab in Berkeley, CA — where her responsibilities include everything from operations, inventory and distributor management to website management, marketing, PR and sales support.
Beer for breakfast? Heck yes!
Those who follow me on Twitter (@TheBeerWench) know that I’m not opposed to imbibing with breakfast. If morning isn’t the best time to enjoy a rich and roasty coffee stout, when is? And if you’ve never tried a Beermosa (mimosa with beer instead of Champagne), you need to put it on your Sunday Fun-day bucket list.
Beer is made from similar grains used in baking (like barley, wheat and rye), making it an excellent addition or substitution in many types of batters and dough—especially bread and pancakes.
I’m no stranger to putting beer in batter! This particular pancake batter was inspired by Wells Banana Bread beer, a unique and fruity brew with a distinct ripe banana flavor that comes from the addition of real Fair Trade bananas. The “bread” component comes, not surprisingly, from its blend of roasted malts.
A beer brewed with fresh banana just begs to be whipped into a from-scratch batch of banana pancakes. As with all my recipes, I recommend pairing the dish with the same beer used in the recipe. Brunch, anyone?
Banana Bread Beer Pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Wells Banana Bread beer
2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 ripe banana, for topping
Directions
Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, beer, butter (or vegetable oil) and bananas.
Stir dry mixture into the wet (banana) mixture. Batter will be slightly lumpy, but that is totally fine!
Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook, flip, and cook again until pancakes are golden brown on both sides.
Serve hot with sliced bananas and your favorite maple syrup (and try a squirt of whipped cream if you’re feeling really decadent!)
Bonus Recipe: Beermosas
Ingredients
6 ounces fresh squeezed orange juice, chilled
6 ounces wheat beer (like Four in Hands Belgian White)
Pour juice into a tall glass first, then add beer and enjoy!
Would you ever try beer in our pancake batter? What’s your favorite brunch cocktail? Let me know in the comments below!
