Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Mixing them thoroughly now ensures the leavening agents are evenly distributed.

Prepare the Wet Ingredients: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, peel and mash the ripe bananas with a fork until they are mostly smooth with a few small lumps remaining.

Mix Wet Ingredients: To the mashed bananas, add the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until it's well combined. Then, slowly whisk in the melted butter.

Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet banana mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Gently fold them together with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps in the batter are what you want.

Rest the Batter: This is a key step! Let the batter sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. This allows the oats to absorb some of the liquid and soften. What works best for me is using this time to get my frying pan ready and gather my toppings.

Heat the Pan: Place a large, non-stick frying pan or griddle over a medium-low heat. Add a small knob of butter or a little oil and let it melt to coat the surface. The pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles and evaporates on contact.

Cook the Pancakes: Pour about 60ml (a ¼ cup measure works well) of batter onto the hot pan for each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, or until you see small bubbles appearing on the surface and the edges look set and golden.

Flip and Finish: Carefully flip the pancakes with a thin spatula and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side, until golden brown and cooked through.

Keep Warm: Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and keep them warm in a low oven (around 100°C) while you cook the remaining batter, adding a little more butter to the pan between batches as needed.