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There are many reasons behind my decision to give up wheat flour and gluten and they are all working out for the best. Most things I was happy to leave behind – bagel? Who cares. Pizza? Mmmmmmmmmmm that one was tough. Pancakes are another item that I felt myself longing for but most gluten free pancake recipes fell flat leaving a gritty texture on the pallet, and really, they didn’t have any nutritional value.
But then I bought some buckwheat flour. Buckwheat as it turns out, isn’t wheat at all. It’s related to rhubarb and the ‘grain’ isn’t a grain but rather a seed. It’s a gluten free alternative to wheat flour that is nutrient rich. Buckwheat was the answer to a great gluten free pancake recipe! I also had fantastic success using buckwheat in a bread recipe.
I added some almond flour to this buckwheat pancake recipe to up the protein and calcium and the result was a beautiful and fluffy pancake that is better tasting than a plain old white rice flour pancake. I was pretty impressed with these babies and they’ll be making their way into our regular breakfast repertoire.
The batch will make 10 medium sized pancakes. Each pancake has 97 calories, 12g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 4g fat and 2g sugar.
To make these pancakes light and fluffy, this recipe calls for separating, whipping and folding in the egg whites. Do not be scared. This isn’t hard. I whipped mine with a whisk by hand and it took all of two minutes. They don’t need to be fully whipped to stiff peaks – just soft ones. If you used a hand mixer it would be done in no time flat.
Folding the whites in is easy too – it’s basically just gentle stirring. With a spatula, stir in a ‘bottom, up’ motion bringing the spatula down to the bottom of the bowl and then bringing up the mixture and ‘folding’ it over the top. Don’t worry if your technique isn’t precise. The idea is just to maintain the air in the egg whites without beating it out during the process of mixing.
Once your batter is made, it cooks up just like a regular pancake. Pour some batter in a med hot pan and cook until the bubble formation slows down. Flip and cook one more minute. If you need to – test the pancakes with a toothpick. If it comes out clean then they’re done. I used a little coconut oil in my pan but you could use butter too. These cakes are darker in colour than regular ones – just keep that in mind as you’re cooking – it’s harder to tell if they’re becoming over done.
Yield: 10
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
These are as nutritious as they are tasty - down with bland, gritty pancakes! Substitute the honey with your favourite low carb sweetener and the milk for water and 1 tbsp heavy cream to go even lower on the carb count.
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup almond milk (or your milk of preference)
Instructions
In a large bowl mix buckwheat flour, almond flour and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add egg yolks, honey and milk. Stir ingredients until mixed well. Set aside.
In second bowl whisk your egg whites to med stiff peaks.
Pour egg whites into the rest of the batter and fold gently until incorporated.
Pour batter a half cup at a time into pre-heated pan on low-med heat and cook until bubbles slow. Flip and cook again until done.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 70Total Fat: 2.61gSodium: 27mgCarbohydrates: 8.7gNet Carbohydrates: 2.4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1.88gProtein: 3.4g
When I saw how these turned out I heard that little girl from Despicable Me in my mind “They’re so FLUFFY!” and tasting them told me I’d never miss a regular pancake again. The kids loved them too and asked for more. I served ours with real maple syrup and a touch of strawberry jam but fresh berries or some strawberry sauce would be nice. I hope you try these out and if you do, let me know what you think!
If you have any leftovers they freeze well allowing the kids to pop them into the toaster for a nutritious and quick weekday breakfast option. Just place some waxed paper in between them before you freeze. You can also keep leftovers in a zipper bag in the fridge for up to a week.
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