Sunday, August 05, 2012

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.



8 comments:

Renee said...

So glad you found a recipe you all like! Joel and I are still challenged by th grain free pancake idea. We are getting there using almond flour, but not quite satisfied yet. So glad it has worked for you~ yahoo!!

Sue Jackson said...

I still want to test out your suggestion of coconut flour, too, Renee. I bought some, but I read that you have to adjust recipes a bit because it absorbs more liquid than other flour substitutes, so it may take some tweaking. I also want to try coconut or almond milk rather than soy milk.

The experiments continue!

My next project: GF/DF banana cake for Jamie's birthday - I have 11 days to figure this one out!

Cusp said...

http://bakesbooksandmyboys.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/gluten-free-banana-cake-and-dairyand.html

This is a good recipe

and this one is even better we think:

100g dairy free marg
100g fruit sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g rice flour
40g millet flour
40g gram flour
2tsp GF baking powder
Half a tsp xanthan gum
4 very ripe bananas mashed

[ I have just used 160 grams of GF plain flour and it works OK too. Have also substituted 10g of flour for 10g of pure cocoa powder for a banana/choccy cake }

* preheat oven to 180C /350F. Grease a 1lb loaf tin (I have made in round cake tin too)
* Beat marg and suagr till lighter and fluffy.
* Beat eggs in sep bowl and then add, a little at a time to marg/sugar mix with vanilla
* sift the flours and baking powder and x gum together. With a metal spoon, fold half the flour mix into the marg/sug/egg mix. Then mix in other half.
* Add the bananas and fold in thoroughly until well incorporated

Spoon mix into tin and bake for 40-50 mins (less if a fan oven) until golden and firm to touch. A skewer in the centre should come out clean.

Remove banana bread/cake from oven and leave to cool in tin for 3-4 minutes. Then remove from tin and allow to cool on wire rack

x

in UK 'Plain flour' is what I think you call 'all-purpose' i,e, has no raising agent in it. flour with raising agent in it is called 'self-raising flour')

Sarah Dawneé said...

Hooray!

I'm glad you're finding a yummy pancake recipe that is enjoyable. =)

Unknown said...

Hi Sue,

We always love the way you described step by step of making something!

Thanks for sharing :)

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Judy Acton Ayala said...

Sounds perfect for me except for the soy milk! According to Dr. Brownstein and Dr. Mercola, soy is about as bad as gluten and dairy for CFS and thyroid disorders. Easily researched on their websites. There is a SHOCKING connection between CFS and hypothyroidism, even for people whose TSH, etc. tests come back normal! Thanks to these two doctors, I am feeling like a new woman already just getting off of toxic Synthroid and on NatureThroid three weeks ago, and off of gluten, etc. I wish I could meet these doctors! I also highly recommend Dr. B's DVDs or books.

Sue Jackson said...

Yup, we are supposed to avoid soy, too - working on that.

This recipe should work just as well with coconut milk or almond milk.

Anonymous said...

I tried hemp milk (original) and it's great.