I really LOVE Buckwheat pancakes! They are much lighter (if made like crepes) and nuttier in flavour than regular pancakes and lend themselves well to both savoury and sweet options. Buckwheat is not wheat or any relation to it at all so these pancakes also happen to be both GRAIN & GLUTEN free.
You can serve them with lots of different ingredients, but after a purchase of quality ricotta from the market I decided to experiment and add fresh strawberries and a drizzle of Macadamia Nut Butter. The result was creamy, light, fresh and a really wonderful combination of flavours and textures! I always make extra pancakes and keep them in the fridge with baking paper between each pancake and then I can just heat them up and serve them with some scrambled eggs during the week for the boys breakfast – like a breakfast Burrito if you will! They also work great with a creamy mushroom & thyme filling and very crispy bacon and real Maple Syrup.
You can find two types of Buckwheat flour – one is much darker than the other as it still has the husk of the seed present when its milled. I like to use both – you get a lighter flavour and texture with the lighter version – and you may find your kids wont find the new “darker” colour as strange as they look much more like regular pancakes then the darker flour (as used in these pictures).
I am lucky enough to have a great non-stick crepe pan (larger than a pancake pan) and I do recommend a decent non-stick pan to make life easier, as using any other type of pan will mean the need to grease the pan after every pancake.
Makes 12 (depending on the size of pancake/crepe pan you own)
- 140g Buckwheat flour
- 200ml Almond Milk, Whole Milk or any other substitute mixed with 100ml water
- 2 eggs
- 20g unsalted butter, melted, plus a little extra for greasing
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch cinnamon (optional)
- pinch salt
- Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a medium-size bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix the milk and 100ml of water together. Break the eggs into the milk & water, add the vanilla and start whisking till mixed thoroughly. Add the mixed milk/egg/vanilla in a steady stream into the flour, whisking constantly and gradually incorporating the flour as you do so. (you can do this in a food processor too – add your dry ingredients and while the blade is turning add the liquid in a steady stream through the funnel)
- Whisk until the batter is smooth and all the flour has been incorporated, then whisk the mel
ted butter into the batter.
- Heat the pan over a medium heat. Very lightly grease the pan with melted butter. Using a ladle, pour roughly 1/4 cup (use a measuring cup) of batter into the pan and swirl it around so the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. You want to use just enough batter to make a delicate, lacy pancake. If its too thick then add a little more water and mix thoroughly.
- Cook the pancake for about 45 secs on one side until golden and then using a palette knife or fish slice, flip the pancake over and cook the other side for about 30 secs until it freckles.
- Slide the pancake out of the pan and stack on a plate, continuing until all the batter is used up.
- I crumbled some Ricotta into my pancake with some chopped organic strawberries, a drizzle of Mac Nut butter and a little Passion fruit (Granadilla) 🙂
I love getting my boys involved here – from making the batter to flipping the pancakes and laying the table. I hope you and your family enjoy these pancakes as much as we do!