Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes

Gluten-Free Breakfast!

I love breakfast foods.  Scones, waffles, eggs Benedict, I adore them all.  Before I became gluten-free, my hubby and I would go out for breakfast at least twice a month, going to different restaurants and trying their different specialties.  In the last two years, I’ve been out to breakfast maybe five times because, let face it, if I want something other than eggs, I have to make it myself. 

I love buckwheat pancakes because they have a distinct flavor and aroma.  So many GF baked goods made with rice flour have good consistency and texture but the actual flour doesn’t taste like anything.  Rice flour is the tofu of the baking world- it lends substance but takes on the flavor of the other ingredients.

Buckwheat was originally cultivated in central Asia and taken to Europe by the crusaders.  The most common use in the US appears to be in the form of crepes (thank you France!), though roasted buckwheat groats make an excellent substitute for barley in soups.

Despite it’s name, buckwheat is actually a fruit seed and not a cereal grain and has no relation to wheat.  Nutritionally, buckwheat is a powerhouse and contains trace minerals, fiber, and the flavonoids rutin and quercetin, which aid the body’s antioxidant activity and protect the heart.  On a GF diet it can often be challenging to eat enough fiber do to the extensive processing of GF flours, but buckwheat flour contains 4 g of fiber per ¼ cup serving!

What do I eat with my pancakes?

Eggs.  I love eggs and must eat them with pancakes.  My husband thinks this is the weirdest thing but I like to break the yolk on the pancakes and swirl it with the syrup.  I never used to fry eggs because they stuck to the pan but recently I learned the best trick of all.  Use bacon grease!  I get bacon from happy, free-range pigs and when the bacon is finished cooking I strain the grease into a jar and keep it in my fridge for all my cooking needs. 

Your mission?  Buy buckwheat flour and make a delicious weekend breakfast for you and your family.

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancakes

These delicious cakes can easily be made dairy-free by using a non-dairy milk of your choice and coconut oil or safflower oil in place of the butter.  Feel free to experiment with the amount of buckwheat flour until you get a taste you like.  Try half cup of brown rice flour and half-cup buckwheat flour for a slightly lighter cake.

1 cup buckwheat flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ cups milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon maple syrup or sugar

Butter for cooking

1.       1.  Mix together buckwheat flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

2.       2.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, and syrup or sugar.

         

S       3.  Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  To avoid lumps, add milk mixture ½ cup at a time and mix before adding more liquid.  Let the batter sit for a few minutes to thicken.

4.       4.   Heat skillet over medium heat and add butter.  When skillet is heated, add dollops of batter 1/3 cup at a time and cook until top begins to bubble.  Flip pancake over and cook for another minute.  Continue the same process until the batter is gone.

Recipe adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre