August 02, 2013

Craving pancakes


I let a little too much time slip by before I got to my typical morning smoothie; it was getting late, and suddenly I was starving and craving pancakes. I tried to dissuade myself but it was no use — PANCAKES was all I could think about. It probably had something to do with the small, round waffle iron ($4!) I didn't buy at a recent estate sale, and a pancake craving was how my brain was handling the decision not to acquire another kitchen plaything. If you can't have waffles, then pancakes are the next best thing. And they would be gluten-free pancakes — without xanthan gum.


I set about cooking like I often do, without bothering to look up a recipe, which isn't always the best plan when using gluten-free flour. Lucky for me, it worked. I used approximately 1-1/4 cups of Bob's Red Mill GF Baking Mix, plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder, a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt for the dry mix, and two tablespoons of chia seeds plus four tablespoons of hemp seeds blended with a cup of water in the VitaMix, for the liquid. I happen to have black chia because that's what was inside the bag I got at Costco, so the liquid was an alarming shade of grey. It was OK, though, because the pancakes came out looking like whole wheat, not a scary grey color. When I mixed the batter, I ended up adding extra water because it was too thick, as I expected it would probably be. I also added a little vanilla extract and about a teaspoon of canola oil.


The pancakes were cooked on a hot, cast iron griddle (lightly oiled for the first batch) and they didn't stick at all, which surprised me. I thought they were delicious, but maybe a little too hemp-y for some people who may not be used to the flavor of hemp. Maybe even too hemp-y for me. (My husband loved them, and he never eats hemp, so I could be wrong about that.) I would use almond milk next time, and possibly add just one tablespoon of hemp — like I do when making smoothies. Otherwise, with some maple syrup, the pancakes were great. Playing in the kitchen is fun.


I just wish I'd bought the waffle iron . . .




25 comments:

  1. Love the photo progression! And now I'M craving pancakes; thanks for that.

    I know how you feel; I have a brand new George Foreman grill, but I can't bring myself to take it out of the box because I'm out of room. I want pressed paninis!

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    1. Thanks and you're welcome. Have some pancakes. Or pressed paninis! The waffle iron was nice and small but I couldn't picture where it would go. Tsk. I could have put it in the basement if I had to.

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    2. I just had to tell you (because I can't stop thinking about pancakes) that Champ's in Brooklyn makes red velvet chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. And, while I know it's not exactly your speed: WOW nonetheless. I've resisted them thus far...

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    3. Red velvet has always creeped me out a little but I'm not above adding chocolate chips to pancakes (to anything, really) and topping it off with a little coconut whipped cream. For special occasions, of course. And isn't breakfast a special occasion?

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  2. What a fun photo set! You must be getting really good at gluten free cooking if it's coming to you intuitively now. I totally agree with you about the waffle iron. Pancakes are nice and all, but nothing beats a crisp waffle.

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    1. Having the Bob's Red Mill baking mix helps a lot, though I was getting pretty good mixing my own flours, too. It's the darn xanthan gum I'm trying to avoid, but I think chia has great potential.

      Go ahead and rub it in about the waffles. Now you know I'm probably going to have to go buy a waffle maker. Grrrr. Is there no end to desirable kitchen toys?

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  3. Once you start thing about breast treats, there is no going back. You just née them!

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    1. OK, Amey. I'm going to interpret your comment rather than take it literally. Hahaha. Breakfast treats, right? Unhuh. We need them. BREAKFAST treats. Yup.

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  4. Those look all lovely and comforting. Give me a few of those and a cup of tea and I'd be well away!

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    1. Ah, the simple life is best. Pancakes and tea on a sunny morning. I agree!

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  5. I haven't had pancakes in forever--yours look delicious!

    Courtney

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    1. I thought they were delicious, but of course, I was REALLY hungry.

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  6. I've been craving pancakes today, too. It's been a while since I had some! Hemp sounds like a great addition.

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    1. Hemp is a great addition — but not too much hemp. I may have overdone it a bit. :)

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  7. Now that you mention it, it really has been ages since I last had pancakes. Such a shame these didn't quite meet your expectations, because they sure do look tasty!

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    1. They were delicious, and I didn't exactly mean they weren't to my liking, but I was worried that the slight hemp flavor might put someone off if they tried to make them. One person's hemp seed is another person's linseed oil. :D

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  8. I think I crave pancakes EVERY day! My favorite breakfast food, I think. Yours look terrific! :)

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    1. Ever since I made the pancakes I've been craving them every day, too. I've been sticking with my smoothies, though. :)

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  9. You read my thoughts! I am craving for your pancakes right now, instantly, right now! ^_^

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    1. You know, ever since I made them, I've been craving pancakes, too. And waffles!

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  10. I think that photo of the empty plate just about says it all! (Did you let Callie lick it clean?) :-) These sound delicious!

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    1. Callie doesn't get to lick plates, poor baby. She's unusual in that she doesn't have much interest in people food.

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  11. Yum! You are getting quite adept at GF cooking! Lease go share the recipe as you play with it. Now I need pancakes and it's 4am. Oops.

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  12. Oh farm my comment got eaten. Anyhow I was saying they look delicious and I need some pancakes even though it's 4am.

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    1. Looks like your comment made it through just fine. Wonder why blogger makes commenting so hard sometimes.

      I'm a lot less intimidated than I was, which makes it easier to experiment. I hate being tied to complicated recipes and not able to cook freely, but now I experiment more. Why are you up at 4 a.m.? We should have a 4 a.m. skype group.

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