Category Archives: Pancake Addiction

February 29, 2012 · 11:12 am

Light and Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes

Gluten-Free Pancake Addiction!

If you look under my little “Categories” toolbar to the right over there, you’ll see that there’s an entire “Pancake Addiction” category.

Though they’re not my go-to every morning breakfast (that would be slow-cooked eggs of arugula with avocado, goat cheese, sunflower seeds and a dash of really good olive oil and fleur de sel), they’re one of my favorite things: so light and fluffy and indulgent.  I’ve been doing the gluten free thing for almost 20 years – sometimes incredibly strictly, sometimes a bit more lax – and I remember a huge chunk of my childhood either going without or having really sub-par replacements.

Not any more.  The gluten free world is so delightfully dynamic now, and the demand for allergy-friendly takes on the classics continues to rise.  These pancakes are so easy to whip up, and they flavor and texture are truly incredible: thick but fluffy with perfect little air pockets, a touch sweet and ready for syrup, and great for making while dancing around your kitchen on a Saturday morning…

Or a Wednesday… or Monday… or…

Happy Wednesday from a gray, chilly NYC folks,

- Jacqueline

Perfect chew, perfect crumb, ready for topping.

Light and Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes

Makes 10 4″ pancakes

The combination of flours is important here, both for taste and texture.  You can make multiple batches of the dry ingredients and store them to have at hand, and adapt them to your heart’s content.  Millet is easily digestible and a slightly sweet, nutty grain, and brown rice gives a bit of structure without the gumminess that white rice sometimes brings to the table.

I use unsweetened almond milk from Blue Diamond as it doesn’t contain a gum like the Silk brand does.  If using a milk-alternative, make sure that yours doesn’t contain a gum.  If it does, omit the xanthan gum from the recipe.  And if you can’t do xanthan gum, add 1 Tbsp of ground flax.

Dry Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup millet flour
  • 1/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
  • 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)

Wet Ingredients: Warm or room temperature

  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup milk*
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp apple cider or white vinegar
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup water

Directions:

  • Whisk the wet ingredients (start with 1/4 cup water) together until smooth.
  • Pour over dry ingredients and whisk together until smooth and pliable, about 2 minutes.
  • If the batter is a tad thick, add water 1 Tbsp at a time until the batter falls smoothly off a spoon and leaves the tiniest trail back in the bowl.  This will make very thick and fluffy pancakes.  If you like yours a bit thinner, add the remaining water.
  • Heat a large skillet on medium heat, grease and drop about 1/4 cup batter.  Cook for about five minutes until the edges brown slightly, flip and cook until lightly brown.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Please use real maple syrup on your pancakes and not corn-starchy “pancake syrup”.  Fresh fruit, nut butter or even something savory all make great toppers.  If making blueberry pancakes, toss 1 cup of fresh blueberries in a bit of gluten free flour and gently fold them in at the end.  To make extremely zingy blueberry pancakes, check out my Blueberry Lemon Pancakes, which are my favorites.  Or for something a little naughty, try my slightly cocoa-y Red Velvet Pancakes.

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February 23, 2012 · 10:20 pm

Red Velvet Pancakes – gluten and dairy free

Flour, cocoa, and a whole lotta love

I didn’t realized until I uploaded these photos quite how sexy these pancakes are.

They’re not as sophisticated as my Tapioca and Buckwheat Crepes.

Not as ready for little fingers and family moments as my Ebelskivers.

They don’t quite have my undying devotion as do my Blueberry Lemon Pancakes.

Nor do they fulfill a St. Patrick’s day yearning like my Nutty Irishmen.

But, hot dang…

…do they make a little dusty baker like me swoon.

Look at them, all saucy and red...

So here’s what I suggest you do, friends:

If you’re single, slip on something barely there and make these while dancing barefoot in your kitchen to Ella or Janis or maybe some Little Walter.

If you’re all cozy coupled, slip outta bed early morning and whip these up, then serve all snuggly and warm.

If you have little ones scampering about, put on the Beatles and teach them that all you need is love.

Happy Pancakeing.

- Jacqueline

Love is all you need

Gluten-free pancake mix

Whisk together 3 cups millet flour, 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup  starch, 4 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp kosher salt, 2 tsp xanthan gum, 4 Tbsp sugar

Red Velvet Pancakes

Now what technically constitutes a “red velvet” cake is the combination of flavors of cocoa and the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar.  I’ve made these both with and without vinegar, and in my opinion there’s not much of a difference in taste between the two.

What I have noticed that makes a huge difference is the kind of milk you use.  I awoke to FoodBuzz’s “Congratulations, you made the Top 9!” and a craving to make them.  But after two batches that were gummy and tight I was REALLY frustrated!  The original batch was made at my family’s house in CT, with most of the same ingredients I have in my apartment.  I had made them twice there with success.  What in dog’s name was going wrong?! After the two botched batches I looked at the Silk Almond Milk I had grabbed from my corner deli: it contains locust bean gum (made from carob pods).  I had found the culprit.  So, warning, if you use an alternative form of milk, check out both the sugar and the thickening agents in them.  I’ve made them successfully using my basic pancake mix (above), but I’ve also put options for using premixed gluten-free flour and mixing your own below.  If you’re using a mix that has a gum in it, omit the xanthan gum completely.  Also, consider reducing the sugar if your milk is already sweet.

Final note: If you have large eggs on hand, be careful with the amount of milk you use.  Start at 3/4 cup an add the additional at the end if needed.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup gluten-free pancake mix OR mix below*
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 3/4 – 1 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp red food coloring
  • 1/4 tsp white vinegar

Single Batch Mix: if you don’t have pancake mix at the ready use this combination: 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup  starch, 1/4 cup millet flour (or 1 1/4 cup of whatever gluten-free flour mix you have at hand) 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/8 tsp salt optional 1/4 tsp xanthan gum depending on your milk / dry ingredients mix.

Directions:

  • Whisk pancake mix, cocoa and sugar in a small bowl.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk / beat egg, milk, vanilla and food coloring until creamy and light.  Add in flour mixture and stir to combine.    Let sit for 15 minutes if time permits (I pour mine into a large measuring cup for easy pancake pouring later).
  • Heat a griddle or large skillet on medium/low heat until it comes up to temperature.  Lightly grease with cooking spray or butter.  Slowly pour pancake mix to desired size.  Cook about 5 minutes, until the pancake bubbled then sets.  Flip, and cook another 3 minutes or until just slightly browned.

Note: Because of the color, cooking slowly at medium/low heat is the best.  Make sure that the cooking spray or butter doesn’t brown between batches to lock in the beautiful red color.

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July 6, 2011 · 11:06 pm

Gluten-Free Ebelskivers

Gluten-free Ebelskivers!

For some reason listening to Nina Simone seemed appropriate when making Ebelskivers alone in my apartment last week.  Being that Nina is neither from Denmark nor filled with jam, I don’t know why this was so.  Maybe sweet cinnamon, sugar and molasses made me think both of the blues and pancakes??  Or strong coffee and whiskey?  Mine is not to reason why… just to bake and sway slowly and enjoy.  Which I did.

My friend Abigail loaned me her cast-iron pan for these little treats recently, and I had a feeling “waiting” for a brunch crowd was going to test my patience too far. So these got simply rolled in cinnamon and sugar and were served atop whipped cream with chocolate macaron shells, hazelnut cookies and cherry compote at a dinner party I attended later in the evening.  I should have taken pictures of the whole caboodle, but let’s just say a few bottles of Prosecco had made their way around the room by the time dessert was plated.

Abigail also gave me her recipe, which is a basic pancake recipe but where the smart (and culinary-school trained) lady specifies separating the egg whites and yolks and beats the whites to stiff peaks, giving the pancakes a lot more lift and chew.

I simply adapted by using my gluten-free cake flour blend and changed / added a bit here and there. And I learned from a few floppy results how to get the pancakes as round and fluffy as possible!

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup gluten-free flour (I used my standard cake flour blend)
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 Tbsp soy sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 Tbsp melter butter or cooking spray

Directions

  • Sift flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
  • Lightly whisk the milk and soy sour cream until smooth (this somewhat replicates buttermilk).
  • Add cinnamon and vanilla.
  • Lightly whisk the egg yolks and then whisk into milk mixture.
  • Combine wet with dry.
  • Beat egg whites into stiff peaks and then fold into batter.
  • Melt butter and wipe with a pastry brush into Ebelskiver pan, then set over medium/high heat.  If using cooking spray, spray liberally.
  • Bring to a medium/high heat and fill 3/4 way with batter, making sure to note where you’ve started and ended to make turning easier.
  • Using a miniature frosting spatula, tongs, a 2-pronged fork or miniature spatula, flip Ebelskivers when they are just starting to pull away from the pan and browning on the bottom.  I’ve found confidence and the grace of a ballerina help when turning them without the batter messing all over the pan.  Standing with one foot slightly raised and toes pointed somehow also contributes to success. As does giving yourself an extremely low curtsy afterwards in celebration.

Now, I simply tossed mine in cinnamon and sugar and they were divine.  On a more ambitious day (or when trying to impress an overnight guest who’s daring to stay for brunch) I might put a drop of jam or lemon curd into the center. Ooh, or dark chocolate (for them, not me).

I found the result to be a lovingly fluffy, chewy pancake, rather neutral in flavor as one must be.  Mixing some ground flax seed and diced ginger might be delightful.  Hmm… now I’m hungry.

Round and fluffy and delicious

 

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March 5, 2011 · 4:14 pm

Nutty Irishman St. Pat’s Pancakes

Nutty Irishman Gluten-Free Pancakes

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I have a pancake addiction.  And possibly an addiction to St. Patrick’s Day too.  I’ve blogged about my uncontainable love for Blueberry Lemon Pancakes and have already made allergy-friendly Soda Bread and Irish Cream Carob Cupcakes, though it’s only a few days into March.

Yesterday morning, though, I just didn’t have time to make pancakes and blog the recipe.  I had an audition and five articles to write, for Pete’s sake!  No time for delicious food and playing when there’s work to be done, right?

Yeah, you guessed it.  I went into the kitchen.  I just had to try out the first go of my new creation, Nutty Irishman St. Pat’s Pancakes.  I mean, a girl’s gotta eat breakfast, right?  And I had laundry down in the basement so my eye had to keep on a clock.  What’s an extra half hour in the kitchen when there’s creation to be had, right?

Addiction.  But I know many of you out there are addicted too.  As evident by your confessions on the last pancake addiction post.  Yes, I think this support group should happen somewhere.  In fact, I just bought AddictedToPancakes.Com.  Message me if you want to be made an author and contribute a recipe, or just divulge a food addiction.  This could be fun.

Anyhoo, in the spirit both of St. Patrick’s Day and Pancake Addiction (which would make a good band name, no?), I’ve made these.  Dessert for breakfast.  A coffee drink in a pancake.  Somehow I captured a bit of the delicious after-dinner drink, though I used no whiskey (sniff).  I ate a bunch.

Now, notes:  These are not that sweet.  I used 4 Tbsp of sucanat to make the cocoa a bit fuller, but these do not taste like a brownie, cake or even chocolate muffin.  They are definitely pancakes.  If you want a sweeter treat, throw more sugar in there.  And if you don’t mind a little alcohol in the morning, throw a shot or two in.  Or soak your hazelnuts in whiskey for a while and then leave them out to dry / toast them.  Yum.  I’m gonna try that next time.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract (or hazelnut if you can find it… I couldn’t… sniff…)
  • 1/2 cup fine unsweetened cocoa (I used Ghirardelli)
  • 4Tbsp sugar (I used sucanat)
  • 2 cups gluten-free pancake mix (Bob’s Red Mill or I used equal parts tapioca, oat, white rice and sorhgum this morning)
  • 1/2 tsp xantham gum (if NOT using a premixed pancake mix)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • salt
  • 2 eggs

Directions

Now I did this in a blender, because I was anticipating making it at my boyfriend’s apartment or my dad’s house, and they both have those and not other methods of equipment.  You could also do this in a bowl on a standing mixer or with a hand mixer.  The blender method was affective and did make pouring the pancakes easier, but I did get mix all over my white kitchen cabinets.  It was funny.

  • In a saucepan combine melt butter.  Then add coffee and milk and heat on low until warmed.
  • Whisk in the cocoa until combined completely.
  • Pour in liquid measuring cup and set aside to cool.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt).
  • In a large bowl or blender, beat eggs until a tiny bit frothy.  Then slowly add the liquid ingredients (retain about 1/4 cup) and beat to combine.  Add the dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated.
  • If the batter is a bit too thick, add remaining wet mixture.
  • Let stand while you heat your cooking instrument (I used a griddle that covered two burners).
  • Now, these will brown more easily than other pancakes, so I recommend heating the surface well and then turning down the heat and letting it cool a tad.
  • Bake on both sides until fluffy.  This made me 14 small pancakes.

Nutty Irishman Pancake Addiction

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February 28, 2011 · 6:10 pm

Tapioca and Buckwheat Gluten-and-Dairy Free Crepe Batter

 

Savory Breakfast Crepes

Yesterday I woke and immediately started daydreaming about Sunday breakfast.   With all the writing and social networking that goes with my job(s), sometimes I just get cranky for time IN the actual kitchen.

Crepes.  I don’t know why, but I started daydreaming about crepes.  Filled with eggs and goat cheese and something bright colored to remind me what spring looked like.  Luckily I was only a few blocks from Whole Foods, where a bunch of gorgeous little tomatoes from Mexico found their way into my basket, along with some fresh cilantro and small Mexican champagne mangoes.  The sun was out, the air was warm, I walked home with my jacket unbuttoned and my raggedy hair blowing in the wind.  New Yorkers had a bit more of a spring to their step, and I didn’t realize at the time how this quick break from the cold would make smiles turn up a bit more on most of the lovely people I’d encounter in my day.

Anyway, back in the kitchen.  I had decided on using a little buckwheat – which is common in some crepe recipes but used sparingly as it can be a bit bitter – and tapioca flour to pull along with the eggs and soymilk I was using for the crepe batter.  A tiny bit of butter and salt, and that’s it!  I utilized the whipping strength of a blender and the ease of a non-stick skillet to aid in making sure that the eggs would be beaten light and fluffy and the crepes easy to flip.  When the first one actually WORKED I called my boyfriend to the stove, giddy like a school-child out the first day of holiday.  We delighted in a few seconds of cheery contentment, flipping gluten-and-dairy-free crepes onto a waiting pan while eggs slow-cooked nearby.

This recipe is quite simple, and quick, and with a little practice I soon had a stack of warm crepes that I filled with sauteed eggs and served with a guacamole-type mix and the freshly sliced champagne mangoes.

It was a good, good, good day.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cup soy or unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup tapioca flour
  • 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp melted butter or olive oil

Directions

Whip eggs and milk of choice in blender until creamy and a bit fluffy (if you don’t have a blender you can use a standing or hand mixer, or just whip the heck out of them with a whisk).  Add the flours 1/3 a cup at a time, whipping thoroughly with each addition.  Add the melted butter or oil and salt and whip quickly to incorporate.

Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Hold skillet away from heat and let cool for 5 seconds, then pour enough batter in the center of the skillet, swirling quickly to cover the entire surface, until the bottom of the skillet is just covered with batter.  Return to heat and cook for 15-20 seconds or until the sides of the crepe start to curl.  Flip gently and cook on the other side another 20 seconds.  Remove to plate.  Repeat until you get a pretty stack of crepes!

Before I started cooking the crepes I had a second skillet going on low heat with melted butter, slowly stirred eggs, fresh cilantro, soft goat cheese and the skins of these tomatoes:

I then reserved the insides of them and mashed them with avocado, more cilantro, a squirt of fresh lemon juice (in the absence of lime) and some sea salt and pepper.  And then adorned the dish with the fresh champagne mangoes.  They’re a little tarter, firmer and less fibrous than regular mangoes.

While the tomatoes weren’t quite what I wanted (beautiful in color but still lacking that perfect summer tomato sweetness), it was a gorgeous dish, paired with orange juice and locally roasted coffee.  The perfect start to one of the best Sundays I’ve had in a long while.

 

Creamy egg-filled crepes with champagne mangoes, avocado and Mexican tomatoes

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