Monday, October 3, 2011

Teff Pancakes- Easy Gluten Free Pancakes

I love pancakes. They used to be my go-to breakfast, because they could be made to fill your tummies even when the cupboard is nearly bare because you desperately need to go grocery shopping. They're filling, they have carbs and protein which give you energy to start your day. Not only that, they can be whipped up in very little time, so when you're dizzy because its late and you still haven't eaten anything since you woke up, and you know you need to get some food into you ASAP and don't have all the time in the world, nor energy to make something complicated, pancakes are the easy solution...
...only, my standard pancake recipe is made with gluten, and hence is a non option these days.

Gluten free pancakes often don't taste so nice, or contain about a million and five ingredients in them, making them a huge pain in the neck to make, and not an easy quick meal. Or they contain really really expensive ingredients, or premade gluten free flour mixtures that I can't buy for less than a small fortune here, making them not exactly a low cost option.

Here's a recipe that I put together that only calls for 7 ingredients, not a million and a half, and for the most part its things you'll already have in your gluten free home (like xanthan gum).
These pancakes are made with teff flour, a nutrient rich whole grain flour that is native to Ethiopia, and is gluten free. Its not the cheapest flour in the world, but then again, no gluten free flours are... Teff is also pretty decent tasting- I honestly can't say that these pancakes taste all that different from whole wheat pancakes- teff has a pretty neutral whole grain flavor.
To cut the costs of buying teff, I purchase it at a local Ethiopian ethnic foods store. I've also been contemplating buying it in bulk, because then it is significantly cheaper.

Teff Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups teff flour
2 medium eggs
1 tsp xanthan gum
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp baking powder
1-2 tsp salt
1.5-2 cups water, milk, or *gasp*- spoiled milk
Oil for frying- I use coconut oil generally.

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients together, ideally with a whisk to remove all clumps. First add 1.5 cups of liquid. If the batter looks too thick, add another quarter of a cup at a time until you get a runny batter, looking like this.


2. Heat up oil in a frying pan on a medium or high heat. Depending on how you like your pancakes, you want to add more or less oil, and make the temperature higher or lower. I like my pancakes crispy and deep fried (and since its with coconut oil, I know I'm eating something healthy even though its dripping with oil), so I put in a deep later of oil and put the flame very high. If you like your pancakes softer, add less oil and keep the pan over a medium flame.


3. When your pancakes are filled with bubbles along the edges, flip them over for the other side to cook. When they're fully cooked, remove them from the pan.


4. Serve them with a pat of butter or with honey or any other homemade healthy sweetener. Alternatively, top with fresh fruit or home canned fruit, or even whipped cream!

Note: Pancakes are very versatile. I'm pretty sure this recipe would also work with egg replacements like ground flax seed or ground chia seed, but I haven't tried it out myself. I am also guessing that it can work without the xanthan gum, but I haven't been willing to try just yet. (I have the xanthan gum and I want to make sure 100% that my pancakes stick together.)
If you want to make your pancakes sweet, add it into your pancake batter, and eliminate some of the liquid if you're adding a liquid sweetener.

Enjoy!

What is your go-to breakfast when you have no energy?
Do you make pancakes ever? What do you put in your pancakes? How do you like to top your pancakes?
If you're gluten free, what gluten free flours do you usually use in your pancakes?
Have you ever eaten anything made with teff? If so, what was it?

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