Saturday, January 14, 2017

Waffles and Pancakes!

Pancakes are actually pretty easy, and nearly every culture I can think of has some variation on a pan-cooked flat bread. Chewy, dense and satisfying, here's my personal variant on waffles and pancakes. This version is egg-free and gluten free, and it wouldn't be too hard to find a way to make them paleo if you needed to.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup tapioca or arrowroot starch (cornstarch would work too)
1/3 cup almond, hazelnut, or coconut flour
1/3 cup sorghum, teff, or other single-grain gluten free flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 tbsp granulated sugar/sweetener
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil (I like nut oils like walnut or hazelnut but you can use anything that works for you)
1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2, milk, milk alternative, or water

Tools:
Measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, mixing spoon/spatula, waffle iron (if you're making waffles) or a frying pan (for pancakes)

Instructions:
1) Mix all dry ingredients together
2) Make a well in the dry; pour in the oil and milk/water
3) Mix well. Batter should be very thick, almost more like a sticky dough. If you want to make pancakes, add a little extra milk/water to thin the batter out just a little (though even for pancakes, the lack of gluten means the batter will work better if it's a little thicker)
4) If making waffles, scoop about 1/4 c of batter into each side of your waffle iron (mine is old enough that it helps if I spray it with some spray cooking oil first; yours may or may not need that).  If you've never used an old fashioned belgian waffle maker before, you'll want to plug it in and wait for it to heat up before using it; with most models there's a light that will turn on while it's heating and turn off when it reaches a steady temperature. Wait til the light turns off before adding batter; the light will turn back on as it starts cooking the waffles. The waffles should be ready when the light turns itself off again.

If making pancakes, heat a frying pan til water skittles across the top. Add a heat-appropriate oil. Pour in about 1/4 cup batter into as many circles as fit in your pan (with a full sized pan I usually make 3 pancakes at a time). Heat for at least 3 min or until the underside looks firm and browned. Flip and cook another couple minutes on the other side. Pancakes are an art; it takes a bit of finagling until you learn your pan, your correct amount and type of oil, your correct level of heat for your stove, and the ideal thickness of your batter, so experiment until you figure out what works best for you. 

Makes about 6 waffles

Nutrition Information (assuming tapioca, almond, sorghum, walnut oil and 1/2 & 1/2)
Calories per waffle: 175 cal
Carbohydrates:        22 grams
Sugars:                      4 grams
Fiber:                         3 grams
Proteins:                    4 grams
Fats:                          8 grams