Happy Pancake Day!
Categories: Breakfast Treats, Holiday, Pancakes, Recipes
Tags: , Allergy Friendly, Dairy Free, Mardi Gras, Pancakes, Shrove Tuesday
You may also know this day as Mardi Gras (translated, “Fat Tuesday”) … so many reasons to pay homage to history with food!
If you want to learn more about other tasty Mardi Gras culinary traditions, you simply must sample my King Cake and my Beignets, which pay a real tribute to those famous treats that made Cafe du Monde famous! (And watch this video on DC’s FOX 5 news with my King Cake and Beignets!)
But for now … back to the pancakes!
When it comes to pancakes, it seems that there are two schools of thought:
1) the fluffier, the more flap-jackier, the better!; or 2) thin and delicate crepes are the real deal.
Now, I’m not here to pick sides. No way. I love them both and they each have their place. Adults seem to covet those lacy-thin crepes, and we enjoy them equally, whether stuffed with sweet fruit fillings and drizzled with chocolate, or filled with savory sauteed crabmeat and artichokes.
My kids are true fluffy pancake fans though, and they call for them as frequently at night as in the morning. We have a little tradition in our family that we call “Upside-Down Night,” which really gives the term “pancake supper” new meaning!
If you favor the fancy crepe style, look no further than my new book, Free for All Cooking. It details everything you need to impress the neighbors with these (shockingly easy!) treats for your next dinner party or dessert. I have tweaked my flapjacks recipe from Free for All Cooking and am sharing that with you today. The recipe below is somewhat thinner than the one in my cookbook, giving you the freedom to allow your imagination to be your only restraint as you “paint” your way to your next breakfast (or dinner) table, pleasing all those palates around you. For an even EASIER way to make the best darned pancakes ever (we’ve gotten lots of testimonials like that!), just grab a bag of my Jules Pancake & Waffle Mix!
Pancake Strawberries with Mini Chocolate Chip “Seeds”!
Like any good short-order chef, I field all kinds of artistic requests with this thick, but pourable pancake batter. I have “painted” with this food-colored batter and created everything from my kids’ names in cursive, to potted flowers! I even made a pancake bicycle once. I think my favorite though, is making pancake strawberries, with mini dairy-free chocolate chips as the seeds. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss! (Mind you, I’m no serious pancake artist – I promise this batter is fun and enhances your artistic abilities! : )
Happy Shrove Tuesday! Happy Pancake Day! And Happy Mardi Gras to you and yours!
“Painted Pancakes”
- 1 1/2 cups Jules Gluten Free™ All-Purpose Flour
- 1-2 Tbs. dry dairy or or non-dairy milk powder (I use Vance’s DariFree™ non-dairy milk powder)
- 1 Tbs. granulated cane sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (or egg substitute)
- 3 Tbs. canola oil
- 1 1/2 (+/-) cups milk (dairy or non-dairy)
- high heat oil for the pan
- berries, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc., if desired
- food coloring (optional) – for natural food colorings, try Seelect
Fried egg? No – it’s a pancake!
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. In another larger bowl, combine all the liquid ingredients, using only 1 1/4 cups of milk at first. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredient bowl until well integrated and only a few lumps remain. Add more milk as needed to thin the batter to the point that it is easily spooned onto the skillet, but is not watery at all. You should be able to put a dollop of batter onto the hot oil and spread the batter out with the back of a spoon to form a circle without the batter being too thick or too runny.
Pour enough oil into a large skillet or griddle to have a thin covering over the entire surface. Heat the skillet or griddle to medium-high.
Spoon batter onto skillet and spread the batter with the back of a large spoon. Leave space between each pancake so that you can use a spatula to flip each one easily. If desired, place berries, chocolate chips, etc. onto the uncooked side of the pancakes. (Or make into fun shapes like Mickey Mouse!) If you would like to color your pancake batter, divide mixed batter between bowls and add food colorings to each one. For best “painting” results, pour colored batters into individual squeeze bottles (I use cleaned and emptied agave squeeze bottles). Squeeze batter out to form designs like flowers, fried eggs, strawberries, hearts, stars, teddy bears or even your kids’ names in cursive!
Cook until bubbles begin to form in the batter, then gently flip, continuing to cook until light brown on the bottom with slightly crispy edges. Serve warm with maple syrup, or layer with pieces of wax paper between the pancakes, and seal in a zip-top bag once cooled; refrigerate or freeze and reheat for later serving.
Serves 4.
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Karen said: on March 8, 2011
I made these pancakes this weekend and they are AMAZING!!!! I added a scoop of pea protein powder and used rice milk and no dry milk. My husband and son are GF and my husband is avoiding all carbs right now. He came down and tried one and had to eat the whole thing. He said to me “I wasn’t planning to eat one but when I picked it up and it didn’t break or crumble and it wasn’t hard, I had to try it”. These are my new favorite pancakes. I like them better than non GF recipes. Thank you so much for sharing these amazing recipes! I come to this site for all of my GF needs.
Jules said: on March 8, 2011
Karen – that’s so great! I love the idea of the pea protein powder, too. I’ll have to try that variation! Thanks for sharing!!
laura said: on March 14, 2011
These tasted delicious BUT I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly and mine turned out gummy. Help me figure out how to fix them! I used EnerG egg replacer in rice milk for the eggs. I used rice milk for my “milk” and I did not use any powdered “milk” and didn’t substitute anything for it either. I mixed Enjoy Life choc chips into the batter cause I was too lazy to put them on the individual pancakes. I cooked them on a griddle at about 375. What do you think? Was it the egg replacer? Or something else about my technique in general;-) Thanks!
Terra said: on March 14, 2011
I tried your recipe for panakes twice and both times the result was very gummy/chewy pancakes. The recipe was followed exactly but they were not fluffy like a pancake should be. Any advice?
Thank you:)
Jules said: on March 15, 2011
Hi Terra, I’m sorry you didn’t get fluffy cakes when you made this recipe. Is your baking powder/soda fresh? What kind of milk powder did you use? Those would be the culprits I would look to first.
Terra said: on March 24, 2011
I used a nonfat milk powder (brand new box) and my baking powder/soda were brand new as well, bought for this recipe. Any ideas?
Thank you
Jules said: on March 25, 2011
Hmmm, I’m guessing it’s the nonfat milk powder then. The “milk” powder I use is Dari-Free (not made from milk but contains maltodextrin from potatoes which help in thickening) What kind of milk did you use? Was it fat-free as well? Could be that low-fat bit is the problem. If using the non-fat milk powder and fat-free milk, there is not the body needed for recipes like this to really give them lift and thickening. Next time, either use different milk products, or try adding some corn or potato starch to the mix to thicken it up.
Pam said: on September 3, 2011
Is the oil added to the pancake batter?
Jules said: on September 3, 2011
Hi Pam- The recipe calls for 3 Tbs. oil added into the batter, and if you’re not using non-stick pans, you’ll need a bit of oil in the pan as well, to keep the pancakes from sticking. Hope that clarifies it for you!! It’s a really fun recipe! Enjoy!
Jennifer said: on December 13, 2011
Do you have a recipe for Red Velvet Pancakes? I thought it would be fun for Christmas morning. Love your flour and recipes!!
Jules said: on December 13, 2011
Red Velvet Pancakes?! You are INSPIRED!!! What a fantastic idea! I’ll have to get to work!
Christina said: on March 15, 2012
Hi Jules, I’ve been having such a difficult time using a natural leavener for gluten-free fluffy pancakes. Do you have an easy recipe for pancakes that only uses yeast and does not require any baking soda, powder, cream of tartar. Is it even possible? I look forward to your reply! Thank you!!
Jules said: on March 17, 2012
Christina – can you use Vance’s DairiFree? It helps pancakes to rise a bit on its own.
Sam said: on April 21, 2012
What can be used instead of Vance’s Darifree?
Jules said: on April 22, 2012
Hi Sam, you could use almond meal or almond flour – that would work well in place of the DariFree, but some readers have skipped that ingredient altogether and been happy. I just like fluffy pancakes, so the DariFree or almond meal is a great way to fluff them up!
karen said: on April 22, 2012
i did the recipe without the DairiFree because i didnt know where to get it and they were perfectly light and fluffy! Even with blueberries and chips in them!!
Jules said: on April 22, 2012
Super, Karen! So glad you loved them even without the DariFree! You just gotta have great pancakes on a weekend!
Cristine said: on May 27, 2012
I think I have figured out a way to not get these pancakes to not be gummy. I was following your recipe but they were coming out SO gummy. I think it was the Guar Gum in the Coconut milk causing the problem. This morning I substituted the (coconut – my son is GFCF) milk we use to 1/2 cup of Orange Juice and 1/2 cup of water. They came out so much better!!
Jules said: on May 27, 2012
Awesome sleuthing, Cristine! Who knew there was guar gum in coconut milk?! Way to go!
jana moore said: on June 20, 2012
i don’t know what i did wrong,but all my pancakes turned out gooey n the middle no matter if they were thin or thick-i tried it both ways. i was so frustrated making these. i have used another GF product that was pancake mix and it was awesome, i had no problems with it at all. so i don’t know if it was me or this recipe/mix that wasn’t working right but it gets a big thumbs down. so disappointed.
Jules said: on June 21, 2012
Hi Jana – what kind of milk powder did you use? Make sure not to reconstitute it! When recipes call for powder, that’s what they mean. Also, make sure not to overwork the batter or it will get tough after cooking. You can also make the batter thinner or thicker depending on your preference by adding more or less liquid. Hope these tips help because these pancakes are delicious – you need to experience that!