Protein pancakes

• 1/2 cuprolled oats · blended into a flour
• 1 scoopvanilla whey protein powder · about 30g
• 1/2 cupplain Greek yogurt · 2% or full-fat
• 1 wholelarge egg
• 2large egg whites
• 1/2ripe banana · mashed
• 1/2 tspbaking powder
• 1/2 tspvanilla extract
• 1 pinchkosher salt
• butter or neutral oil · for the pan

Method

1. 1

   Blend the oats into flour first

   Rolled oats blitzed for 30 seconds in a blender or bullet give you a soft oat flour that behaves like cake flour. Whole oats leave chewy specks and soak up liquid unevenly. This is the step that separates a real pancake from a soggy protein puck.

2. 2

   Greek yogurt does the tenderizing, not milk

   A half cup of Greek yogurt keeps the crumb moist and adds another 6g of protein on top of the scoop. Its acidity also reacts with the baking powder for lift. Thin milk-only batters bake flat and rubbery once you add protein powder.

3. 3

   Whip the egg whites in, don't just stir

   Two egg whites folded in at the end trap air and are the single biggest reason these rise instead of sitting dense. A quick 20-second whisk until frothy before folding is enough. This is what makes a protein pancake fluffy rather than flat.

4. 4

   Rest the batter 5 minutes

   Protein powder and oat flour both need a few minutes to hydrate. Rested batter thickens to a proper pour and cooks evenly; batter cooked straight away spreads thin and gums in the center. Set a timer and wipe the counter while it sits.

5. 5

   Cook low and slow, medium-low heat

   Protein cooks and tightens faster than flour, so the high heat that browns a regular pancake will scorch these before the middle sets. Medium-low, a lightly buttered pan, and patience. You want 3 minutes on the first side, not 90 seconds.

6. 6

   Flip only when the bubbles hold open

   Wait for bubbles to form and stay open across the surface and the edges to look matte and dry. Flip early and the uncooked center tears and weeps. One confident flip, then 2 minutes on the second side.

7. 7

   Keep them small, about 4 inches

   A quarter-cup scoop makes a pancake you can flip cleanly. Diner-sized protein pancakes buckle in the middle when you turn them because the batter is heavier than a flour batter. Smaller rounds cook through and hold their shape.

8. 8

   Top with fruit and nut butter, skip the syrup flood

   The banana already sweetened the batter, so a spoon of warmed peanut butter, fresh berries, and a light drizzle of maple is plenty. Drowning them in syrup buries the 30g of protein under a wave of sugar and defeats the point.