Grain free, Paleo style blueberry pancakes

So, I’m sitting here at my desk yesterday, it’s late morning, I’m starving and trying to decide what to have for lunch.

Hmmmmmm…… I really felt like pancakes or muffins or something light and fluffy and carb-ish.

Now because I don’t eat gluten, and I generally avoid grains (except for rice occasionally), I don’t really get to eat any of those yummy foods that I used to take for granted many years ago. You know – the biscuits, cakes, bread, pancakes….And although I was really excited to come across the Better Breads and Guilt Free Desserts recipe books a little while ago, I’ve recently realised that I need to avoid high copper foods for a while (think nuts…), and so many of the recipes in those books are (at least temporarily) off limits for me.

This is a very sad face….

And more about copper in another post….So anyway, I got down to business, hunting for ideas and inspiration.

Successful baking using grain free ingredients

I opened up my Better Breads and Guilt Free Desserts recipe books on my computer and had a (re) read of the first few pages, because I knew that they have loads of really great info in them about the ‘science’ behind baking without grains, about ingredients, how to use them, why to use them and in what ratios.

The books also have loads of helpful info such as how to substitute eggs (for those who can’t tolerate them). They explain when you can successfully substitute eggs and what to use.  Honestly, before I bought these books I knew about the ‘Egg Replacer’ stuff that you buy in a packet from the supermarket, but I didn’t know there was a whole list of ‘real’ foods that you could use to replace eggs!

Another example of a really awesome tip from this series of recipe books is an explanation of how and why to use psyllium in grain free baked goods. Who’d have thought that psyllium could help to ensure grain free breads, cakes and desserts have the same texture as the real thing instead of the crumbly, dry products that are so often the result of gluten free recipes? Not me! Did you know that you can use banana to replace eggs in some bread and cake recipes? As long as the egg is being used simply to bind (not as a leavener) you can use one mashed banana to replace each egg. Some of the other egg replacements include arrowroot flour, potato starch and chia seeds and there’s lots more. For more info on egg replacements, ratios and how to use them, refer to the Better Breads recipe book. So by the time I’d finished my research, I had decided I was going to make blueberry pancakes using tapioca flour and coconut flour. Coconut is a bit high in copper, but not as high as other nuts, so it was kind of a ‘treat’ that I probably could have done without, but hey – I ended up with an awesome recipe that produces ‘real’ pancakes and here it is.

Grain free blueberry pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup tapioca Flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (organic)
• 1/2 tsp bicarb
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp organic psyllium
• 2 tablespoons honey, coconut sugar or erythritol
  (optional)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (or any other milk)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted) or ghee
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon juice and rind of half a lemon
• 1 cup blueberries
• 4 large free range/organic eggs

The how to:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Gradually add coconut milk, oil, vanilla and lemon juice
3. Add eggs and beat well
4. Add blueberries

Lightly oil (I used ghee) a heavy pan or skillet (cast iron is best) and pour in some of the batter. Tap the edge of the pan or smooth with a spoon if necessary to get the desired thickness. Cook one side for a couple of minutes or until bubbles form and then flip and cook the other side until golden in colour.

Enjoy! 🙂

P.S. If you’re curious, but haven’t yet taken a look at the Better Breads and Guilt Free Desserts recipe books, I really recommend them for anyone wanting to remove or reduce grains in their diet. The recipes are really amazing and there’s loads of good information in them as well to help those of us who want to, to create our own recipes as I’ve done above. You can find Better Breads here and Guilt Free Desserts here.