Husband: I'm reading your post about girlfriend pancakes.
Me: Girlfriend? Gluten-free, babe?
Husband: Oh. It was much more exciting when it was girlfriend.
Me: Girlfriend? Gluten-free, babe?
Husband: Oh. It was much more exciting when it was girlfriend.
Gluten-free is quickly becoming the "thing" to do. While I'm not convinced that everyone's problems will be magically solved by removing gluten from their diet, I also recognize that for many, it might be a necessary dietary change and for others, it might truly improve their health. So, with that in mind, I'm trying to build up a collection of some pretty yummy GF recipes, ones that taste great, are great for you, AND don't involve a million crazy ingredients. Gums, four kinds of flours and starches, etc. etc. These ingredients tend to be quite expensive, hard to find, and ultimately, I tend to find the product sub-par at best.
These gluten-free pancakes are pretty great. They are not your "typical" pancake - not doughy or starchy. But they are still really great. I haven't tried them with oat flour, but I suspect that it would work just fine. Almond flour might also work. I like both of these flours in GF baking because both can be made with relative ease at home, making them more accessible and economical. In this recipe, however, I used cornmeal. My first two pancakes were not as "together" as I'd like them, making them difficult to flip. For the second batch, I tossed in about a 1/2 Tbs or so of chia seeds, and really felt like that helped hold everything together better. I also decreased the amount of butter in the pan, which I think helped as well. If you're using a non-stick pan, I would just barely oil it. If you don't have chia (or ground flax), I recommend making each pancake smaller. It will make them easier to flip and handle if you can get your spatula under the entire thing.
If you're thinking about going GF or just want to ease up the gluten/wheat in your diet, these are a great place to start, as are the fantastic cookies I recently posted and this A-MAZ-ING pumpkin bread. If you really think you might be sensitive to gluten, doing an elimination diet in which you eliminate all sources of gluten (wheat, barley, rye...make sure you use gluten-free oats) for at least 3 weeks, could be helpful. If you decide to go this route, make sure you keep track of how you're feeling throughout the process. After 3 weeks, slowly "test" yourself with a little bit of gluten. How do you feel after? What do you notice? If things seem fine, gradually reintroduce the gluten into your life. If you find yourself having a negative reaction, perhaps extend the duration of the gluten free diet, giving your gut time to heal. Some may find that there is no difference, others may discover gluten-free makes their life immensely better. Either way, these pancakes are delicious. :)
*side note: sorry about today's picture quality. I didn't have my hubby's iPhone to take the pic with and really wanted to include a picture of some sort. So....you have to deal with my sub-par flip-phone picture quality. :)
GF Pancakes
makes about 4-6 medium pancakes
adapted from Shutterbug
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 egg (or egg substitute)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Tbs cornmeal
1/2 Tbs-1 Tbs chia seeds (or ground flax, probably the lower end for flax) - optional; make pancakes smaller if not using
Heat a skillet over medium heat; grease very lightly. Whisk all your ingredients together in a small bowl. When skillet is hot, spoon batter into skillet, one or two good spoonfuls per pancake. When the pancake is bubbling slightly and the spatula slides beneath it easily, flip. Cook both sides until golden brown and cooked through the middle.
Top with berries, honey, whipped cream, nuts, maple syrup, and/or cinnamon. I thoroughly enjoyed mine with strawberries, blueberries, a touch of maple syrup, and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon!
These gluten-free pancakes are pretty great. They are not your "typical" pancake - not doughy or starchy. But they are still really great. I haven't tried them with oat flour, but I suspect that it would work just fine. Almond flour might also work. I like both of these flours in GF baking because both can be made with relative ease at home, making them more accessible and economical. In this recipe, however, I used cornmeal. My first two pancakes were not as "together" as I'd like them, making them difficult to flip. For the second batch, I tossed in about a 1/2 Tbs or so of chia seeds, and really felt like that helped hold everything together better. I also decreased the amount of butter in the pan, which I think helped as well. If you're using a non-stick pan, I would just barely oil it. If you don't have chia (or ground flax), I recommend making each pancake smaller. It will make them easier to flip and handle if you can get your spatula under the entire thing.
If you're thinking about going GF or just want to ease up the gluten/wheat in your diet, these are a great place to start, as are the fantastic cookies I recently posted and this A-MAZ-ING pumpkin bread. If you really think you might be sensitive to gluten, doing an elimination diet in which you eliminate all sources of gluten (wheat, barley, rye...make sure you use gluten-free oats) for at least 3 weeks, could be helpful. If you decide to go this route, make sure you keep track of how you're feeling throughout the process. After 3 weeks, slowly "test" yourself with a little bit of gluten. How do you feel after? What do you notice? If things seem fine, gradually reintroduce the gluten into your life. If you find yourself having a negative reaction, perhaps extend the duration of the gluten free diet, giving your gut time to heal. Some may find that there is no difference, others may discover gluten-free makes their life immensely better. Either way, these pancakes are delicious. :)
*side note: sorry about today's picture quality. I didn't have my hubby's iPhone to take the pic with and really wanted to include a picture of some sort. So....you have to deal with my sub-par flip-phone picture quality. :)
GF Pancakes
makes about 4-6 medium pancakes
adapted from Shutterbug
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 egg (or egg substitute)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Tbs cornmeal
1/2 Tbs-1 Tbs chia seeds (or ground flax, probably the lower end for flax) - optional; make pancakes smaller if not using
Heat a skillet over medium heat; grease very lightly. Whisk all your ingredients together in a small bowl. When skillet is hot, spoon batter into skillet, one or two good spoonfuls per pancake. When the pancake is bubbling slightly and the spatula slides beneath it easily, flip. Cook both sides until golden brown and cooked through the middle.
Top with berries, honey, whipped cream, nuts, maple syrup, and/or cinnamon. I thoroughly enjoyed mine with strawberries, blueberries, a touch of maple syrup, and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon!