February 21, 2012

Today's Pancake Tuesday! And since I love (love, love, love) pancakes, I had to share my recipe for the easiest, fluffiest, gluten-free pancakes you've ever had.

Did I mention these are fluffy? Because, my goodness, are they! (While eating them, you might behave like a certain character from "Despicable Me." You've been warned.) The fluff comes from a full tablespoon of baking powder. (As always, be sure to use fresh baking powder.) 

If you're dairy-free, replace the milk with an equal amount of dairy-free milk. Depending on what you use, the dairy-free pancakes might be a little lighter due to the lack of lactose. Like all sugars, milk sugar (lactose) caramelizes as the pancakes cook, turning them a nice golden brown.

And since I read this morning that two-thirds of folks in Britain don't know how to make a pancake, here's a step-by-step in case you've never made pancakes before! (The real factoid in that article that made me cringe was the 40% of people who, supposedly, don't know that flour, eggs, and milk are used to make pancakes. 40% OH MY GOODNESS!) 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. I make pancakes "by hand*" using a wire whisk. If you'd rather use an electric mixer, go for it!

*True story: Once during a baking class, I mentioned mixing something "by hand" and one of my students exclaimed, "You use your bare hands?!?! i don't think I want to do that!" So "by hand"--at least when I say it--means not using an electric mixer. Not actually putting your hands in the bowl and mixing everything up.

Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. This only takes a minute.

Drop batter, about 1/4 cup each, onto a greased, hot, non-stick griddle. The griddle should sizzle in welcome when the batter hits it.

Flip the pancakes--in one swift move--when bubbles appear over the top of the batter. The edges will look almost dry.

That's it!

Elizabeth's Fluffy Gluten-Free Pancakes

Dry Ingredients
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
Wet Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Serving
Butter
Maple Syrup (If you have a maple allergy, Lyle's Golden Syrup is a nice replacement.)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
2. Lightly oil a flat griddle pan. Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Pour batter, approximately 1/4 cup, onto griddle. Batter should sizzle when as it hits the pan.
3. Cook for approximately 3 minutes. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear all over the surface of the pancake and begin to pop. The pancake should begin to look almost dry. Flip and cook another 1-1 1/2 minutes.
4. Serve with butter and syrup, if desired.