Our New Favorite Pancakes (free from gluten, dairy, eggs, & gums)

Pancakes are big in this house and many a recipe has graced our breakfast table. There were the grain-free cakes from years ago (there’s an updated version in my upcoming cookbook that are even better). There were soaked buckwheat cakes and the Gluten-Free Sourdough cakes from Traditionally Fermented Foods.

Since those days we’ve found that some in our family feel better when avoiding gluten while for others it is eggs and others it is dairy. Whenever possible, I like to streamline our meals so that everyone can eat them and Mama’s not making two or three different options. So these pancakes are everyone’s new favorite, and something I am thankful that everyone can eat.

Soaking

Recipes like this can be easily soaked, though I don’t always remember to do that. Just mix together the flours and water the night or day before and add a splash of apple cider vinegar. When ready to cook, sprinkle over the salt and baking powder and whisk it all together with the vanilla.

Using & Sourcing Gluten-Free Flour

I find that in gluten-free baking it’s really easy to over-use starches and end up with a strange flavor and mouth feel. The use of garbanzo bean and sorghum flours is one of my favorite combinations as the protein of the bean combined with the flavor or the sorghum give a result very akin to wheat. There is a similar recipe for pancakes in Traditional Meals for the Frugal Family that is slightly more white flour pancakey (if that makes sense) but also includes eggs.

I was recently asked where I source my gluten-free flours. My favorite source, which I find to be the most economical while maintaining great quality, is Azure Standard. Their garbanzo, sorghum, and tapioca flours are all much less expensive – half the price, often – than other options. Unfortunately, they don’t currently have sorghum and tapioca flours in stock.

When I can’t get large bags of these flours through Azure, I will order smaller quantities through Amazon, generally at a higher (sometimes much higher) per pound price. I order the Anthony’s brand as well as Bob’s Red Mill, depending on the flour.

After trying various binders, flax egg replacements, and dairy-free milks, I have found that a simple combination of flours and water make the best pancake. Even the use of psyllium husk – something I use often in gluten-free bread baking – is unnecessary in a pancake recipe like this, most likely because of the high protein content of the garbanzo bean flour. And, shockingly, we don’t find these to have any hint of the bean flavor you might expect.

With some raw honey and butter on top, or fruit and nut butter, they’re one of our family’s favorite breakfasts right now.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups garbanzo bean flour (see above for sources)
• 2 cups sorghum flour (see above for sources)
• 1 cup tapioca flour (see above for sources)
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat a griddle over medium-high heat.

Combine the flours, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Whisk really well to combine all of the dry ingredients.

Pour in the water and vanilla and whisk well to combine liquid and dry ingredients. Don’t worry about over-whisking; there is no gluten to overdevelop in this recipe.

Once everything is whisked together really well, it should look something like this:

When the griddle is hot and the batter is ready, lightly grease the pan and pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles form and the edge of the pancake begin to firm up.

Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with butter and honey or fruit, jam, and nut butter.