Yummy Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Pancakes

Success!  Jamie sat down at the breakfast table this morning, put a bite of pancake into his mouth and said, "It's a winner!"  Developing a recipe for gluten-free/dairy-free pancakes that taste like our usual ones has been a top priority for me this past week.  Pancakes are Jamie's favorite food, and we have a family tradition of homemade pancakes every Sunday morning.

Last week, I began experimenting and tried two different approaches.  One was a pre-made GF pancake mix (Simply Organic Pancake and Waffle Mix purchased at Whole Foods) and the other was an attempt at mimicking our usual homemade pancakes with gluten-free options.  Both initial trials were only halfway successful.  They weren't too bad, and everyone ate them, but they weren't quite right, either.  Both were too flat and didn't brown properly.

And my kids have very sensitive palates!  Craig took one bite of the pancakes made from the mix and said, "Do these have cornmeal in them?"  When I confirmed that they did, he proclaimed, "I don't like cornmeal in my pancakes - it makes them taste like cornbread" (he likes cornbread but obviously, he is a purist!).  Jamie similarly tasted the homemade pancakes and suspiciously said, "These have buckwheat in them, don't they?  I don't like buckwheat."  I happen to love buckwheat pancakes, but the 1/4-cup I added to the pancakes was too much for Jamie!

So, back to the drawing board today.  This time, I tried to duplicate our usual whole wheat buttermilk pancakes and eliminate the problems from last week...and it worked!  I think we got pretty close, and everyone liked them (even Ken and Craig who aren't eating gluten-free/dairy-free).

So, here's our new pancake recipe...

Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Pancakes

1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mix (today I used Namaste brand)
1 cup brown rice flour
2 Tsp. ground flax seeds (added for more fiber since I usually use whole wheat flour but could be omitted)
2 Tsp. sugar or 1 tsp. Stevia
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs
2 Tsp. canola oil
2 cups coconut milk
2 Tsp. lemon juice

Chopped fruit of your choice (today we had banana-chocolate chip pancakes! See #5 below)

1. Add lemon juice to soy milk and let stand (this is how you make a substitute for buttermilk; if you are only gluten-free and can have dairy products, just use 2 cups of buttermilk).
2. Combine all dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Be sure to measure the flours correctly: gently spoon flour into the dry measuring cup (don't scoop or pack) until overfilled, then level the top with a butter knife or the handle of a spoon.
3. Combine wet ingredients and whisk together.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk together thoroughly. Let stand to thicken.
5. Chop and add desired additions and stir gently.  We like to use fruit: chopped peaches, strawberries, bananas; fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries.  And, of course, chocolate chips are a favorite and are especially good with bananas, strawberries, or raspberries.  Normally, we use mini Nestle chocolate chips, but I discovered they contain milkfat.  So, instead this morning, we took a dark chocolate bar (read the label to be sure it doesn't contain any milk products), and I just grated it into the batter...yum!
6. Heat griddle to 350 degrees.  Dip a 1/3-cup measuring cup into the batter and pour onto hot griddle.  Flip pancakes when tiny bubbles form along the edges and bottom is golden brown.  Serve hot with maple syrup!  Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven or microwave.