Sunday, June 16, 2013

Fluffy LIttle Almond Flour Pancakes (Gluten Free)

Fluffy Little Almond Flour Pancakes



**Susan's Note: My almost 2-year old son has a gluten sensitivity, so we have been converting many of our normal pasta and other recipes to gluten-free recipes.  My husband and I also swore off pancakes 2 years ago, after we made a batch of Buckwheat pancakes (from Bob's Red Mill mix?) and went into a coma an hour later - tired and shaky!  These pancakes were delicious and kept our hunger away until lunchtime.


Fluffy Little Almond Flour Pancakes (GF, DF Option)
Yield: 20 silver dollar size pancakes

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 3 large pastured eggs, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup organic cultured buttermilk (or *pure coconut milk)
  • 1 tbsp pastured butter (or coconut oil), melted
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat griddle over medium heat.
  2. In a small bowl combine the blanched almond flour, baking soda and salt.
  3. Next, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl; set aside.
  4. Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk in the melted butter (or coconut oil). (Be sure the melted butter/oil has cooled to touch before adding, otherwise you may end up with some cooked egg-yolk bits.) Next, whisk in the milk, maple syrup and vanilla.
  5. Then, add the dry mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking well to thoroughly combine, making sure there are no lumps in the batter.
  6. Using a clean large wire whisk, whisk the egg whites rapidly until very foamy (about two minutes).
  7. Then, use the whisk to fold the whipped egg whites into the batter; by gently turning the batter over and over again, until well combined.
  8. Grease preheated griddle with butter (or coconut oil).
  9. Ladle a spoonful of batter onto the griddle to form a silver dollar size pancake (about 3” in diameter).
  10. Cook for a few minutes, until pancakes begin to dry out at edges and the bottoms are a golden brown. It’s important to keep a careful eye on them as almond flour pancakes burn easily. (I like to take a little peek under one of the pancakes to check, before flipping.)
  11. Carefully flip and cook another few minutes until done, but not over-browned.
  12. Serve hot off the griddle with cultured butter, pure maple syrup and a medley of fresh berries.
Notes
Fabulous Fruity Pancakes: To make fabulous fruity pancakes, do not add fruit directly into the pancake batter. Instead, once you ladle out the batter onto the hot griddle, add a small amount of fresh whole blueberries (or other diced fruit of your choice) to the top of each pancake prior to flipping. This ensures that the pancakes cook through evenly. It's also best to use fresh fruit, since frozen fruit tends to be excessively moist and may result in a soggy pancake.

*If using coconut milk, for best results, be sure to use full fat coconut milk, not "lite" coconut milk, or coconut milk beverages. (Natural Value brand canned unsweetened coconut milk is BPA-free and does not contain guar guar gum or other fillers.

Time Saving Tip: Make a double batch and allow extra pancakes to cool on wire rack. Then place cooled pancakes on baking sheets and place baking sheets in freezer. Once pancakes are frozen, remove from baking sheet and place frozen pancakes in freezer-safe container. Store in freezer for up to one month. No need to thaw, simply reheat frozen pancakes in toaster oven (at 275 degrees) for a quick, healthy breakfast.