Gluten free pancakes

Gluten Free Pancakes!

Many of you know, I was recently diagnosed with leaky gut and had to give up ALL gluten – wheat, oat, rye, barley AND corn!!  And while I make a TON of fresh food from scratch, I have NEVER been a baker, so the whole grain food items that I WAS eating were always purchased at the supermarket or local bakery.  But here is my other conundrum.  I also had to give up soy and when I tell you it is in almost EVERYTHING in the supermarket, I am NOT exaggerating.  Almost ALL prepared foods have soy or some derivative of soy in them.  Where has that left me?  Jonesing for something in the cold weather months to satisfy my yearning for baked items.

Many years ago I owned a breakfast restaurant and was very well known for my pancakes.  They were thin, with crispy edges and I made a variety of them with fruit.  So I thought, I can do this.  I can come up with a recipe for where my world is right now and I got to googling and here is what I developed.

Keep in mind I am able to buy brown rice flour in bulk at my local whole foods.  The quinoa flour I made myself by grinding whole grain into flour.  You can do it in a coffee grinder or as I do, in my very frequently used Bullet, with the flat blade attachment.  I LOVE that thing.

Before and after. Make your own quinoa flour.

1 cup organic brown rice flour

1/4 cup organic quinoa flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1 cup non-dairy milk of choice (hemp, almond, coconut, etc).

2 eggs

Blend dry ingredients together with a wisk.  In a separate bowl beat the eggs well, add milk and beat again til blended.  Combine the wet and dry together and let sit for 5 minutes to activate the baking powder and soda.

Here is the tricky part.  Most folks like their pancakes fairly fluffy and that is what this recipe will give you.    I like mine a bit thin, just a step above crepes, so I add a few more tablespoons of milk to the mixture to thin it out.  You might want to make one first, and if it’s to your liking great.  Make more.  If it’s too thick add some more liquid to it.

I like to cook mine in a cast iron pan.  Heat the pan up on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Put a THIN coat of grapeseed oil in the pan.  Pour batter into the pan to achieve your desired size.   Flip the pancake when the top is not longer liquidy (if you try to flip the pancake and liquid runs across it and into the pan, that is “liquidy”).  Peak underneath occasionally with your spatula to be sure you don’t burn it.  Flip, pat and cook until the bottom is at your desired color.  I do a LOT by color.    Use your EYES to cook.

Feel free to add any cut up fruit to the mixture.  If you are going to use bananas, mash up really ripe ones and blend them right to the batter.  This makes a MUCH better pancake with banana throughout, not just in small bites here and there.  This keep well in the fridge for about 4 days.

And PLEASE, whatever you do, do not cover it with fake maple syrup. Imitation syrup is made with highly toxic high fructose corn syrup.  Only buy REAL maple syrup to finish this dish.

Don’t forget I have three, count them THREE, great retreats coming up in February, March and April.   Please consider joining us!