My young daughter served as inspiration for these pancakes. Kids her age require several healthy servings of whole grains daily. Since our house is gluten free, sometimes I need to think a bit outside the box to ensure nutrient-dense grains hit the plate.
Most GF flours and baking mixes are made up of rice flours, nut flours and starches. Of course, rice is considered a whole grain but I try to pare back, at least for now, considering the arsenic risk. And nuts are full of good fat and protein, but not exactly meeting the whole grain nutrient profile.
In scouring the web, I rediscovered buckwheat. Of course! I've enjoyed buckwheat soba noodles and buckwheat crepes. It's nutty and dark in flavor. Gives you a whole wheat kinda vibe without any of the gluten. Stands to reason I could make a pretty decent pancake using buckwheat flour. So that's exactly what I did.
Serving these Buckwheat Pancakes plain would have been a bit drab. Plus a bit of fruit just amps up the nutrients, right? I studded each of the pancakes with loads of blueberries. In particular, I went out of my way to track down wild blueberries. Can I tell a difference in flavor?... no, not really. Especially since they were frozen. What I really enjoyed about these wild berries was the small size. Again, these pancakes were made with my daughter in mind, so small berries serve tiny hands and mouths well. But also the blueberry distribution is wildly satisfying! Lots of small blueberries scattered over each pancake ensured a berry in every bite.
We enjoyed half the batch Saturday morning. As for the rest, I cooked up silver-dollar sized pancakes, and tucked them away in the freezer for quick meal prep in the future. Now we can easily supplement my daughter's breakfast with a nutritious Blueberry Buckwheat Pancake any day of the week.
Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
Ingredients
· 2 eggs, separated
· 2 tbsp sugar
· 1 ¾ cup buttermilk
· 2 tsp vanilla extract
· ½ tsp almond extract
· 1 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
· 1 cup flour
· 1 tsp salt
· 1 tsp baking powder
· ½ tsp baking soda
· 1/3 cup milk
· Butter
· 1 ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
· Maple syrup
In a medium bowl, whip the eggs whites until stiff peaks form. Whip in the sugar until the egg whites are glossy. Set aside.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, extracts, and egg yolks.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the buttermilk mixture. Gradually stir in the milk until the pancake batter is smooth and pourable. Reserve milk if batter is becoming too thin. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites until thoroughly mixed into the pancake batter.
Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium low heat. Lightly grease with butter. Dollop pancake batter onto the skillet using a 1/3 cup measure. Scatter 1 to 2 tbsp of blueberries over the surface of the pancakes. Cook pancakes on one side for 2-3 minutes until bubbles begin to form on the surface and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve the pancakes with maple syrup if desired.
Makes 12 4-in pancakes
GF Friendly
Gluten Free Friendly!
I had greatest success with King Arthur’s gluten free flour blend.
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