Of course pancakes are great for breakfast or brunch….but what really garners the accolades at our house is when we have pancakes for dinner…or at least that’s how it was when the kids were young. And honestly, I still love pancakes pretty much any time of day. They’re a ridiculously easy comfort food and yet somehow a decadent treat, something I didn’t want the celiacs and the gluten free eaters in our family to live without!
Making gluten free buttermilk pancakes from scratch is a snap, as long as you have the buttermilk….and that’s actually a snap too, as long as you have milk and vinegar. One scant cup of milk mixed with a tablespoon of vinegar, let it sit for 5 minutes and voila, buttermilk has been created. Nice work!
Pancakes have been around since what seems like the beginning of time. They’re a simple food, with simple preparation. Blend the dry ingredients, mix in the wet ingredients…that’s pretty much it. When making gluten free pancakes however, one of the most important steps is to simply allow the batter to rest for about 20 minutes or so before you cook them. This extra time allows the starches to hydrate which will improve the texture and help to create those extra fluffy pancakes we all aspire to make, or rather to eat!
Another caveat when cooking gluten free pancakes is to watch the heat! They seem to take a little bit longer to cook all the way through and high heat will cook the outside (they may look pretty), but the inside will end up undercooked, gummy, and sooooo disappointing! I like to cook these pancakes on medium heat. Cook the first side until the pancakes bubble up throughout, flip, and then cook for another minute or so on the second side.
Gluten free or not, pancakes are best hot off the griddle! (or hot off the non stick pan!) If you’re cooking for a crowd though, and don’t want to play short order cook, pile your cooked pancakes onto an oven safe plate in a 200 degree oven until you’ve cooked your way through the batter.
Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour*
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk or 1 scant cup milk + 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Instructions
- If you don't have buttermilk on hand, measure out a scant cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon of vinegar (I usually use cider vinegar). Stir together and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes while you are readying the other ingredients.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and allow it to cool.
- In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the bowl.
- Pour the wet ingredients; buttermilk, whisked egg, melted butter and vanilla into the well of the dry ingredients, gently stir or whisk until completely incorporated and no lumps remain. Allow pancake batter to rest on the counter for about 20 minutes.
- Heat a lightly oiled griddle if you have one, or a fry pan (nonstick is easiest) to medium. Using a 1/4 cup measure, or just eyeball it, pour batter onto griddle. Cook until pancakes have bubbles coming up throughout, flip-over and cook for another minute or two. This recipe should make about 12 pancakes.
So good. It did make almost exactly twelve pancakes that were not huge so recommend doubling or tripling if you have a large group or a bunch of hungry eaters. Do these freeze well?
Thanks Elizabeth! So glad you enjoyed the pancakes! And yes, they do freeze well. In fact I have some in my freezer right now!