One of my favourite treats to have for a weekend breakfast is pancakes. However, there's always that guilty feeling afterwards you can never shake off. Especially after you've drenched it in maple syrup and a cheeky dusting of icing sugar. Although I guess it's sort of balanced when you top it with berries right?
After I was beginning to experiment more with healthy baking and cooking I thought well with the right substitutes, you could practically make anything healthy, or gluten-free for that matter.
Now if I made a list that included every pancake recipe I've tried and experimented with, you'd fall asleep by the time you'd finished reading it. Trust me.
By this time I was getting pretty tired of finding a new recipe, trying it and watching it slowly fail all over again. dense and rubbery. thin and watery. It falls apart. it's as flat as a piece of paper. Disappointment after disappointment.
without much thought, I tried a different recipe and after tasting it, I was blown away. The texture wasn't perfect but I was determined to make it better.
After trial and error, again and again, I got it right. Light and fluffy using no unhealthy ingredients. Gluten-free and most importantly, healthy!
ABOUT- Key ingredients
brown/white rice flour- a flour made up of ground rice grains, it's naturally gluten-free. in certain recipes, it can give a grainy result however it works perfectly in these pancakes to give a delicate taste with a fluffy texture. The addition of brown rice flour boosts the nutritional value too.
Potato Starch- Extracted from potatoes, this ensures the pancakes are moist and provide a soft texture.
Flaxseeds- A tablespoon won't hurt! These are tasteless so will not affect the pancakes at all except make them that little bit healthier. Known as a High-fiber superfood it is rich in omega-3 oils and natural fats to help a healthy heart.
Xanthan Gum- A beautiful discovery in gluten-free baking- it wouldn't exist without it! This fine powder acts as gluten in wheat flour and binds goods together to prevent them from falling apart as soon as they're cooked. it replaces the elasticity of gluten.
Healthy Fluffy Gluten-free Pancakes
serves: 6 large or 8 smaller pancakes ( I usually make about 7 at 70-75 calories each )
Ingredients
48g rice flour ( You can omit the rice flour and simply use wholemeal flour, sifted for non-GF pancakes - they taste just as good and are healthier! )
10g brown rice flour
20g potato starch
1tbsp milled flaxseeds
pinch salt
1/8tsp xanthan gum
3tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2 an egg
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
140ml of almond milk
*add 7g of coconut sugar to the dry mixture to make sweeter
Method
See below for a tiramisu version!
-Measure out all the dry ingredients accurately and add to a medium-sized bowl- I like to use digital scales to get the best results. Whisk them together.
-whisk together the wet. The coconut oil may harden once added alongside the cold milk so perhaps leave the almond milk out until room temperature or warm it up.
- Pour the wet into the dry and whisk the two together until a smooth batter forms.
-Let the batter sit. if it gets too thick stir in additional almond milk.
-heat groundnut oil ( i like to use this over other oils as it has to strong flavour) in a frying pan over medium heat. Wait until the oil is sizzling. you should be able to drop a bit of water in and hear it sizzle.
-using a ladle dollop a good amount in the pan and shaping it into a circle. To ensure they are extra fluffy I use a spatula to scrape the edges of the pancake back in to stop it from spreading.
-once the edges appear set and bubbles start to appear across the pancake, flip it. cook for a further few seconds until golden. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup, and a dusting of icing sugar and berries! another of my favourite combinations is homemade compote (or jam) and cream. mmmm.
TIP- I tend to leave the sugar out if I'm having sweet toppings on my pancakes however if I will simply have fruit with them without anything else, the pancakes are quite bland without the sugar so then I add it in.
Tiramisu Inspired Pancakes
Ingredients
48g rice flour
10g cacao powder
20g potato starch
1tbsp milled flaxseeds
pinch salt
1/8tsp xanthan gum
3tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2 an egg
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
140ml of almond milk
- same method as above
For the Topping
25g mascarpone
55ml light elmea double cream ( if you can find light double cream, you can use that )
1 1/2 tsp Kahlua or marsala
1 flat tsp honey
30ml strong coffee
1/2 tsp vanilla
50ml Kahlua
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp honey, optional
Method
- For the sauce, gently heat the Kahlua and instant coffee until the coffee has dissolved. Stir in the honey. Pour into a jug and set aside.
- Make the topping by whipping the first 6 ingredients until light and whipped ( I used an electric whisk to make it easier )
- Spoon the topping over the panaceas and drizzle over the sauce.
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