Try these naturally gluten-free, moist and fluffy pancakes with an incredible nutty flavour. If you want to become healthy or healthier without neglecting tastebuds, stay away from your old friend – ‘white flour’. This light brown fluffy pancake will awaken tastebuds you have never experienced you had!.
What is Buckwheat?
Buckwheat has become popular and is heralded even as a superfood. Regardless of the validity of the claim, buckwheat is a highly nutritious whole food boasting many health benefits. If you are interested in the health benefits of these pyramid grain-looking seeds, read this article.
The name buckwheat is confusing. Unlike the name, the grain-like seeds of flowering plants do not contain wheat. It is naturally gluten-free and highly nutritious, providing protein, vitamins, fibre and minerals. If you are looking for a healthy alternative to white flour, you must try buckwheat flour. Buckwheat flour is made by grinding hulled buckwheat groat. It is easy to make at home if you have a high-powered blender. Nowadays, you can easily get hulled buckwheat flour in major supermarkets in Australia where I live. The colour of buckwheat flour is lightly creamy and becomes light brown or dark brown, depending on the type of buckwheat flour you use. Flavour-wise, it is slightly nutty and earthy.
How to make moist and fluffy pancakes?
One of the keys to making fluffy pancakes is in leavening agents – baking soda and baking powder. As an inquisitive person and professional chef, I am not a big of following the recipe given without questioning it. Being a little bit food nerd, I am interested in ‘how’ and ‘why’ rather than ‘what’.
Ok, let’s get back to the topic of leavening agents. I have many questions about baking soda and baking powder: What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder? Do the leavening agents impact flavour? How much leavening agents do you need? Can I use expired baking soda or baking powder? Can I substitute one for the other if I have only one in my cupboard? and so on. This website has answered all my bugging questions. It is worth reading the site if you are a curious foodie and cook like me.
Pancake Ingredients
Let’s look at the ingredients. It is best to prepare wet and dry ingredients separately. It is not essential yet a best practice to use a sifter when mixing all dry ingredients. This way, all dry ingredients are well aerated without clumps, which helps to make a smooth batter and even baking.
Buckwheat Pancake Ingredients
- Buckwheat flour: Use hulled buckwheat flour. If you are using unhulled buckwheat flour, it is essential to sift many times to remove finely powdered husk. Unhulled buckwheat flour has a much darker colour with dark brown specks in them. Commercial buckwheat flour from major Australian supermarkets is hulled flour.
- Baking Soda or Baking Powder: You can use either one of these leavening agents. The baking powder in my pantry was well beyond its expiry date. So I used baking soda instead. If you are using baking soda instead of baking powder, you need to add an acidic ingredient. In this recipe, I added Greek yogurt as an acidic ingredient that can activate baking soda (known as sodium bicarbonate). On the other hand, baking powder is baking soda with the acid already added in a powder form called ‘cream of tartar’ (also known as potassium bitartrate). That is the reason why it is not necessary to add acidity to make the leavening agent work when using baking powder. Use 1 tsp of baking soda. Alternatively, three times baking powder if you are replacing baking soda. (3 teaspoons of baking powder).
- Sugar (optional): If you want to make a little sweeter pancakes, add 1-2 tbs of sugar. I did not add sugar in this recipe to suit my taste.
- Salt: 1/2 tsp of salt
- Banana: well-ripe banana
- Greek Yogurt: This works as an acidity that activates baking soda so that the pancake batter can rise with a fluffy and moist texture.
- Egg: 1 egg
- Vanilla extract
How to plate pancakes
- Fresh or frozen berries: Any fruits you like as toppings. But blueberries, cherries and strawberries are a perfect combination in my opinion. It is best to use fresh seasonal berries and cherries. But when out of season, use frozen fruits. Quickly defrost them in a microwave.
- Greek yogurt or Labneh: strained yogurt over cheese clothes or over fine sieve is the best to create beautiful cream-like topping. Alternatively you can spread thick and creamy Greek yogurt on top of pancakes.
- Maple syrup or honey: drizzle over the stack of pancakes.
- Cinnamon Powder: sprinkle this spice all over that gives outs sweet aroma and taste.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- Buckwheat flour: 1 cup
- Baking soda: 1tsp
- Salt: 1/2 ts
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana : mashed with a fork or potato masher
- Greek Yogurt: 1 cup
- Egg: 1
- Vanilla: 1 tsp
Cooking oil: around 1 tbs to cook pancake batter on a gridle.
Instructions
- In a bowl, sift all dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, mash the banana and add all other wet ingredients. Mix well.
- Pour the mixed wet ingredient into the dry ingredient mix
- Heat a griddle or non-sticking pan over a low-medium heat.
- Lightly lubricate the pan with oil. (see note)
- Pour an even amount of batter into the heated pan or a griddle.
- Turn it over when you start to see little bubbles.
- Continue to cook for a short time.
- Brush the pan with oil from time to time.
Notes
- The pancake batter yields about four reasonably large and thick pancakes. or 6-7 thinner pancakes, depending on the amount of batter to cook each pancake.
- Brush the pan with oil instead of pouring oil directly into the pan. This helps to use a small amount of oil.
