Sunday, October 19, 2008

Fluffy Delicious Gluten Free Pancakes Recipe

Sparky loves my pancakes. There are few tricks I use to make them light and fluffy (not an easy task with GF flour). Actually, I use the same tricks I use for regular pancakes. The following recipe is converted from a recipe in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion (the bible of all-purpose flour baking). You could just buy GF pancake mix but it's pricey and not that much easier.

Simple but Perfect GF Pancakes Recipe
2 lg. eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract (don't use imitation as it may not be GF)
3 Tblsp. melted butter
1 1/2 c. GF flour (I premix 1 part rice to 1 part tapioca or potato)
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar

Beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla on high speed for 3 minutes. The mixture will be really light and fluffy. Stir in the butter.

Sift the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute and also lighten up the mixture. Gently and quickly stir into the wet mixture. Just 10 seconds should do it. Yes, I know there will still be lumps but, as Alton Brown would say, "Just step away from the batter" because the next step is going to take care of those lumps.

(NOTE: You may have to add more milk if the batter is too thick.)

If you keep stirring and mixing until all the lumps are gone then you're going to end up with stiff, tough pancakes. Instead, let the batter sit for at least 5 to 10 minutes. You could even make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge. I like to make the batter before Mass and then finish up when we get home.

Allowing the batter to sit will dissolves all of those lumps, thicken up the batter, and make it all yummy & fluffy. While the batter rests, you could make some blueberry syrup (I'll include that recipe at the end).

Spray your griddle with Pam and preheat. The griddle is ready if a drop of water skitters across the surface. If you're lucky enough to have an electric skillet set the temperature to between 325 and 350.

Give your batter a final stir and drop on the griddle -- about a 1/4 cup. I use an ice cream scoop. The GF pancakes don't seem to bubble on top like regular pancakes so just keep checking them. Turn over once and cook on the other side until it's brown. Serve immediately.

Since Sparky is the only one eating the GF version, I have lots of pancakes leftover to put in baggies for later use. I put them in the fridge or freezer to reheat in the toaster oven or on a hot griddle another day.

NOTE: For regular pancakes, reduce the milk to 1 1/4 c. milk and use all-purpose flour.

Blueberry Syrup Recipe
1 1/2 c. frozen blueberries
2 Tblsp. lemon juice
1/4 sugar
1 1/2 c. corn syrup (I substitute 1/2 of the corn syrup for honey)
1/4 c. cornstarch
1.4 c. cold water

Put the berries, juice, sugar, and syrup in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. While you're waiting put the cornstarch into a cup with the cold water. Stir to dissolve. I use a sippy cup -- put the cornstarch and water into the cup, put on the lid, and give it a good shake. Add the cornstarch mixture to the simmering blueberry mixture all at once. Stir continuously until syrup comes back to a simmer and becomes clear. Serve warm right off the stove.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the taste of these pancakes, but I can't make them fluffy like your picture. The batter is super thick on the bottom, but runny on top. When I quickly stir the batter (after it has rested overnight), it's still super runny. Do you know what I'm doing incorrectly?

Maureen said...

You know, GF flour is so temperamental. They came out perfect the first time I made them (and so then immediately posted here :-)). But other times I've had to adjust the amount of liquid. I seem to have the opposite problem -- too thick instead of too runny. It may have to do with humidity or altitude. Just try a little less liquid. It sounds like you're doing everything right. Letting the batter sits is supposed to make it thicker. So, yep, I think cutting back on the liquid by a quarter of a cup or so will help. I hope!

Terra Carlson said...

I just made these this morning (New Years Pancakes ;D) and they had great flavor, but were completely soupy (as in wouldn't make a pancake shape when poured, just ran to the edges of the pan). Isn't flour weird? Even after sitting 15 minutes, the mix wasn't thick (and it stubbornly refused to delump, I had to mix more than I liked). I gradually added more flour, let it sit, checked the consistency, added more flour etc. The flour ended up needing to be almost doubled. It's a very rainy day here - that's the only thing I can think of :P

I've been cooking GF for a decade, and would really dearly love to finally have fluffy pancakes again. I will keep tweaking your recipe for my flours, cause the flavor and texture were really really good. Right down to the crispy butter flavored edges! :D

Have a happy happy new year!
Terra

Maureen said...

I adjusted the above recipe for a little less liquid. Then if it's too thick people can just add more.

For crispy, the key may be as simple as making sure your skillet is really good and hot.

Anonymous said...

I noticed that you haven't used any xantham gum, which might make a difference in the texture and consistency. I would use atleast a teaspoon for this recipe.

Maureen said...

Excellent point Summer. Maybe even 2 tsp. I'll give it a try and then adjust the recipe. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

I made these pancakes and they were delicious! However, I too had a problem with very liquidy pancakes even after letting it sit for a couple of hours. Though I do quite like thin pancakes, I guess I shall just change the quantites next time. Thanks for this :)

Anonymous said...

I have just tried these pancakes this morning. They were wonderful. A little salty for my taste. IS it necessary and I had no baking powder but it didnt seem to make a differenece. Hot pan/ skillet is a must! I thought the consistentcy was great i like thin pancakes. Thank You very much this recipe. Most importantly my GF loved them!! Recipe will be used for years to come.
Cheers

Maureen said...

Thank you Anon. You know they say that you can cut the salt in half in recipes and not effect the recipe too terribly.

Wendy said...

Yummy! Thanks for posting the recipe. I only let my batter sit 10 minutes, and it was a perfect consistency. The pancakes tasted like "real" pancakes and they really filled my pancake craving. I will be making this again!

Anonymous said...

These were great! I also wanted to pass along that since we all need a little more fiber in our diets, I have found The Pure Pantry buckwheat (yes, its is gluten free!) flax pancake mix has been great for a quick breakfast pancake. It is available on the web. Thank you for your great recipes!

Anonymous said...

Besides being a celiac, my daughter and I also have an intolerance to milk. I followed the directions except used almond milk instead of regular milk. As with the comments from other readers regarding the consistency, the pancakes did not turn out at all. Maybe it has something to do with the almond milk but I would not recommend this recipe.

V.A. Jeffrey said...

Probably what's missing is xanthan gum. When using GF flour you have to use xanthan gum which takes the place of gluten. I think I'll give this recipe a whirl!

Unknown said...

This is the best recipe EVER. THey always work out great for me and taste delicious. I use egg replacers and this works really well too!

Anonymous said...

Very tasty, but again thin for me! When pancakes don't make, make crepes! I couldn't make these fast enough for my two year old and I found them quite tasty as well. This is definitely a recipe worth playing with to get just right.

Rachel said...

Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe but substituted 1/2 of the flours for buckwheat flour. I also added 3/4 tsp of xantham gum. I've been trying various gluten-free pancake recipes for the past year and a half, and this was the best one by far!

Kathe Perez said...

Maureen,

As a recent fan of GF baking, I've long for good recipes that are both tasty and have a good consistency.

This recipes is fantastic!

I use 1/4 cup of corn meal and chopped bananas and strawberries into the mix.

I'll definitely share this with my other GF friends.
Thanks,
Kathe

Jan said...

This turned out to be a great crepe recipe, but it was a far cry from light & fluffy pancakes. The batter turned out so runny that I thought for sure I'd read the recipe wrong, but I guess some others had the same experience. Interestingly enough, I also made the blueberry sauce and luckily only added half of the cornstarch/water mixture at first, because it instantly turned to jelly. Had to add 1/2 a cup each of oj and water to get it to a saucelike consistency.

Anonymous said...

I made these and halfed the recipe. I used egg replacer and didn't use all the mild required and they made great thin pancakes. Very delicious! Thanks!!

keep it simple stupid said...

the best gf pancake mix is the simplest 1 1/2 cups GLUTEN FREE SELF RAISING FLOUR! 2 eggs, 1/4 cup castersugar, 1 teaspoon salt.
i always add 1 1/2 chopped bananas. serve with slices grilled banana and maple syrup. Fluffy yum and just as tasty as normal my gf is gf and there the only pancakes i ever make mix up fruit but same same. im in aus and use orgran sr flour

Unknown said...

I had the same problem with the batter being runny, it turned out more like crepes the first time I cooked one. I had to add almost another whole cup of flour to get it to a good consistency for the way I like my pacnakes, also using Orgran SR flour. They were definitely the best GF recipe I've tried so far, even if they weren't fluffy - much better than the last recipe I used! I had to mix more to get it to de-lump as well but they were still very nice!

Anonymous said...

I have tried to make this recipe three times. It has come out runny every time following instructions to the letter. This time I put in some additional flours hoping to thicken it up. It worked to a certain extent but far from the fluffy results I hoped for. Thanks anyway.

Unknown said...

My sister and I tried this recipe and probably added way too much butter because we forgot to measure, but they turned into delicious crepes!
gluten-free sisters

Anonymous said...

I tried these this humid hot morning and used 3/4 c Rice dream rice nog which is already thickened and added a tsp xanthan gum.

They are the best pancakes I have ever had and reminded me of McDonalds pancakes. My kids even thought they looked good and they were eating the extra light and fluffy pancakes from Hungry Jack.

If I have leftover pancakes, I also reheat them and put peanut butter on them to eat while I drive to work.

I think I might make a batch so I can do some gluten free McGriddles sandwiches with the egg and sausage. I do miss McDonalds as you can tell :).

gely1_2000 said...

My mum is a coliac and she is also lactose intolerant, so to alter this recipe to suit my mums need i have alternated between only 1 cup of lactose free skim milk, and i ran out of flour so alternated between 1 cup of corn flour and 1 cup of GF self raising flour and into the blender to avoid the lumps that gluteen free flour can have, this turned into a lovely thickish mixture and pefect fluffy pancakes.
Thanks so much for this recipe it has made my mum happy and me in the good books...lol.
Regards
Genelle
AUstralia

IrismoonInTheCity said...

Hi, I found this recipe through a simple Google search. I followed it exactly (except my GF flour mix is 6 parts brown rice flour, 2 parts potato starch, 1 part tapioca flour). Like some of the other commenters, it resulted in a VERY thin batter....so I simply made crepes instead, and they were delicious! I filled mine with brie and applesauce, and topped them off with saskatoon berry syrup, and a side order of bacon. Delicious!

Anonymous said...

Can I have an approximate yield? I'd like to make these for Christmas breakfast for 11 people. Wondering if I should 2x, 3x, or 4x the recipe.
Thanks!

Maureen said...

For 11 people, I would double. Triple if you want to absolutely make sure that you have enought. 4x would definitely be too much.

I put leftover cooked pancakes in baggies and in the fridge for another day. I reheat in the toaster oven.

Merry Christmas!!!

RJL said...

Maureen,

Please try my recipe. See what you think. I will try yours too. My recipe also calls for resting the batter, but I use buttermilk and a splash of orange juice. This is what makes it fluffy along with 30 minutes of resting time. I think Sparky will love these. It took me three years of trying different recipes to figure it out! www.glutenfreevoice.com

Best Regards!

divishinating said...

I saw Maureen's recipe and read everyone's comments. So I altered the recipe a bit taking into account that there were a lot of complaints of runny-ness. I also thought that adding Xanthan gum sounded like a good idea. I also have a fantastic waffle recipe that has the same flours and ratio as well as the beating the egg whites stiff. It makes the most amazing waffles.

You might want to add slightly more liquid, but no more than a 1/4 cup. They are slightly dry, but considering that you usually add various sauces to pancakes it's not noticeable.

On the plus side they look beautiful and have a great texture/flavour. 1/2 -3/4 inch thick, light and fluffy. My gluten eating husband thought they were great too.

Fluffy, beautiful gluten free pancakes by Mikyla

dry:
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup rice flour
3/4 tsp salt
3-4 tsp sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder


wet:
3TB melted butter
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

mix dry ingredients into a bowl.

Separate eggs and beat whites until stiff
Mix egg yolks, vanilla and melted butter (be sure to stir rapidly while adding the melted butter so it doesn't cook the egg yolks).

Add egg yolk mixture to the flour without stirring, then add 3/4 cup milk. Stir until combined. Then add egg whites and gently beat in with a whisk.

Drop onto nice hot buttered frying pan.

add butter and maple syrup = perfection!

john m. butera said...

The secret to sucessful scratch pancakes is not to follow a recipe, other than for the base. Pancake recipes are amazingly forgiving. The method we will use will make your pancakes come out to perfect consistency everytime. I make a base by adding to a bowl - 1 or 2 eggs, 3 Tbsps honey, 1 1/2 Tbsp oil, salt if desired appx 1/2 tsp, and a handful of brown sugar. Whisk lightly together.

Now add your liquid(s). I start with 1/2 cup and I use various liquids like milk, soy milk, pet milk, almond, etc... it does not matter what type liquid you use, or if you mix and match. After adding about 1/2 cup, I whisk litely, and then add flour. Add it by hand until it looks like it's a match for the amount of liquid you used. Whisk gently. You will quickly discover that it is too wet or too dry - adust with more liquid or more flour. It's that simple. Now do it again depending on how much batter you need. Add appx another 1/2 cup milk, and add a handful of flour. Whisk gently and then make an adjustment until the batter is the consitency you like. At any point in this process, you will want to add a teaspon or more of baking powder. And a 1/2 tsp or more of baking soda, or you can add a 1/2 cup yogurt and a splash of citrus juice in lieu of the b. soda. You may add xanthan gum if you wish, but i do not like the consistency it creates. So if you must, just use a 1/4 tsp. Quantities are very forgiving, so sweetners and salt are always optional. Only if you are making a very large batch will you need to add more baking powder and soda. Gluten free cooking requires more egg so use 2. Always let the batter sit for 30 min. At that point adjust with more flour or more milk to get the consistency you like. MAKE PANCAKES!!!

kim said...

i followed recipe, still runny after resting so i added 3/4 tbsp xanthum gum and beat with electric mixer turned out light fluffy and tasted sensational my son who is not GF even loved them said they are better than bought mix cheers kim

Anonymous said...

I've tried a zillion GF pancake recipes and this is by far the best when it comes to fluffy pancakes. I used 1 part rice flour, 1 part Bob's GF All Purpose flour, and a 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum (I've learned that less is more when it comes to xanthan gum). I will adjust the vanilla to 1 tsp. next time, but overall these pancakes were delicious. My non-GF wife even loved them and when you can get a normal flour person to like a GF item, you know it's good!

Falbo's said...

Ok - I am no baker and am new to trying this gluten free stuff but mine ended up looking and tasting just like the McGriddles at McDonalds - which is great because I need my kids to eat these! I followed the recipe with these exceptions I used 3/4 cup of Smart Balance Fat Free Milk (because that is all that was left in my milk carton!) and two tablespoons of Maud Borup Semi Sweet Drinking Chocolate Mix instead of vanilla (didn't have any vanilla)and for flour I used 123 Gluten Free Flour Mix. I did not have any Xanthan Gum but since the flour mix contains potato starch I didn't think I needed it. And I also forgot to add salt, bt turned out I didn't really need it. They were thick, silver dollar or English muffin-sized and tasted great! My son ate 4 of them. They are thick and you have to flatten them when you flip them and also cook them with the lid on so the centers are steamed to done. They do have a spongey-ness to them like the McGriddles or Mcdonald's pancakes. I took a picture of them if you would like to see it, let me know! Thank you for the recipe to get me started!