Big Breakfast with Gluten Free Banana Oat Pancakes
Growing up, every Sunday my father (and his father before him) made “big breakfast” for the family. Pancakes were the main course, and my favorite. He even got creative and made a “special pancake” in the shape that represented an event from the week. And we weren’t allowed to eat until we guessed what it was. This put a bit of pressure on the meal. Be it his medium or artistic skills, let’s just say the representations were a little more Picasso and less Michelangelo. Regardless, pancakes are still my weakness.
After a bit of searching, I found my clean eating pancake solution! Like the Rolling Stones once said: You can’t always get what you want, if you try sometimes, you just might find…
Literally moments after I posted my story of the metal bits in my multigrain pancake mix (which wasn’t clean anyway) a Facebook friend posted this link: http://cookieandkate.com/2012/banana-oat-pancakes/
Of course I just had to try it. It does require a bit of time to make, but the filling and delicious flapjacks are a delightful treat for “big breakfast” on Sundays. And they are gluten free!
Gluten-Free Banana Oat Pancakes
Author: Cookie and Kate
Recipe type: Breakfast
Ingredients
3 small bananas (9.5 ounces), mashed
2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 small lemon, juiced)
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup oat flour*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
In a small-ish bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil (or butter), lemon juice and honey (or maple syrup).
Beat in the eggs. If your coconut oil goes back to its solid state like mine did at this point, just warm the mixture for short 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until it is melted again.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. With a big spoon, stir just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Do not overmix or you’ll run the risk of getting tough pancakes!
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. The book notes that you may want to thin out the batter a bit with a touch of milk or water, I did not.
Heat a heavy cast iron skillet (or nonstick griddle) over medium-low heat. If necessary, lightly oil the surface with vegetable oil or cooking spray.
Once the surface of the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on it, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. Let the pancake cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the cake.
When the pan is just beginning to set, flip it with a spatula and cook for another 90 seconds or so, until golden brown on both sides. You may need to adjust the heat up or down at this point.
Serve the pancakes immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven.
Notes
Adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking
Yields about 8 pancakes.
These pancakes are gluten-free, so long as you buy oat flour or old-fashioned oats that have not been contaminated with wheat.
*To make oat flour out of old-fashioned oats, simply pour one cup of oats into a food processor and process until it is ground well. One cup before and after grinding measures just about the same, believe it or not! That’s a fun little tip I picked up from the King Arthur cookbook.
This whole grain batter is thicker than most, so it’s more difficult to gauge when the pancakes are ready to flip. I learned that it’s easier to go by the timer: set it for for 3 minutes for the first side, then flip and wait another 90 seconds for the other side to finish. The time will vary depending on your temperature setting, but that’s about the time it should take for pancakes that are fully cooked and golden on each side.
