Pancake roundup!

Happy Pancake Day!! Or Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras...whichever title you use I hope you've enjoyed your day!

I have a quick recipe below, but first a little pancake feast roundup for you!

strawberry cream pancakes with chia jam

my favourite super-cute buckwheat blini kebab!

stuffed savoury pancakes

lemon and poppy seed pancakes

PB and jam white spelt pancakes

carrot cake pancakes

I love pancakes, thought I have them all too rarely. That is the thin and crepe like kind with the crispy edges. I often have fat and fluffy American style breakfast pancakes but the traditional English pancakes all to often go overlooked. Not today...today I will revel in all their glory.

Such a simple pancake and today my pancake mix will be no different to previous years, though I have provided it again below for quick reference. Unfortunately I still have not mastered the art of a gluten free pancake of this kind, I have used spelt flour but for gluten free pancakes of other types take your pick from these oaty stacks in either sweet or savoury options and these almost-too-cute-to-eat buckwheat blinis... assemble your own blini buffet to make the perfect for playtime with the kids or as a pancake-turns-Valentines-dessert with your loved one! 

My pancake of choice for today's celebrations are my spelt pancakes, but this time using wholemeal flour all wrapped up with an apple date and cinnamon saucy compote ( also also had banana and maple syrup in one of the pancakes as you can see peeking out). I apologise for the slightly lacking photography...I had to use artificial spot lights which I always struggle with compared with natural light (horrible shadows), plus the fact that I had a telephone appointment scheduled so was pushed for time...oh well :-)

What is your favourite type of pancake...and most importantly your favourite topping?

 

Recipe: English spelt pancakes with apple compote

Makes 3 medium pancakes (serves one for a large portion!)

Ingredients- pancakes

½ cup wholemeal spelt flour (or white for a lighter pancake if that is important to you)

1 tsp ground flax or chia seed

1 tsp agave syrup

1 tsp baking powder

tiny pinch salt

2/3 cup soy milk (reduce to half if you prefer a thicker pancake)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs melted coconut oil/vegetable oil

Ingredients- topping

1 large apple- cubed (peel first if preferred)

2-3 tbs date syrup, handful finely chopped dates, or 1 tbs date sugar (I used finely chopped dates)

½ tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup apple puree
1 tbs lemon juice
a little water to achieve desired consistency

Handful raisins or sultanas- optional

Method

For the topping, cup the apple it smallish 1cm sized cubes, place in a small sauce pan and mix with the date paste/sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Cook on a medium heat on the stove for approx 5 minutes, add the apple puree and water and then simmer for another 5 minutes whilst the pancakes cook until the apple softens and creates a saucy consistency.

For the pancakes, mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients. Mix well until you have a smooth batter with no lumps.

Meanwhile heat a medium sized frying pan with very light covering of oil (I used rapeseed oil lightly rubbed over the surface with kitchen roll). Once the pan is hot add a large spoonful of batter to the pan and move the pan in circular motions to spread the batter into a larger circle. Cook for approx. 2 minutes and then carefully flip to cook the reverse for approx. 1 minute until both sides are lightly brown. Run a little more oil over the surface of the pan and then repeat for two more pancakes. 

Serve hot with the apple compote or other toppings of your choice.

* for further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Stuffed pancake stack!

With Pancake Day just around the corner next Tuesday, I wanted to bring you a pancake recipe ahead of time. See, I am actually getting organised this year!!  (I also have an amazing Valentines themed post lined up for Saturday...so keep your eyes peeled!)

Most people usually think of sweet filled pancakes and I am no exception, however this time I wanted to put a twist on things and create a simple savoury recipe. The concept is based on a savoury version of these fruity oatmeal blinis and I remember thinking to myself at the time that they would work perfectly as a base for a savoury filling...so here we are.

To speed things up even more you could make the blinis ahead of time and freeze them if not using the same day. Simply defrost and reheat in the oven for a few minutes. (It tried this and it works well). The instructions below may seem lengthy but I promise you won't spend more than 10-15 mins tops from start to finish.

The filing is my current favourite dip/spread, which will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days but it's best served fresh when possible. I served it warm this time round...yum! You may remember the dip was first seen here adorning my Christmas trees! Add a few extra roasted veggies or salad leaves as per your preference to create a pretty plate. 

Just remember to stack ‘em high!

Recipe: Stuffed pancake stack

Serves 2 (8 blinis plus filling­)

Ingredients

Oatmeal blinis:

100g ground oats

¼ tsp bicarbonate soda

150ml soy milk (or other dairy free milk)

1tsp ground chia or flax

Approx. ½ tsp seasoning as desired

Approx. 50ml water to thin batter as needed

Green pea and bean dip:

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
1/2 cup cooked white beans (canned or pre-cooked)
1 garlic clove- crushed
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 shallot (or 1/4 white onion)
1 tbs fresh herbs (I used parsley)
salt and pepper to taste

Handful of rocket or spinach

Sliced roasted or sun dried tomatoes

Sliced roasted or caramelised onions

Method

Prepare the onions and tomatoes as desired- I roasted mine for 5 minutes or so whilst I prepared the blinis.

To make the pea filling, add all ingredients to a blender and whizz together until desired texture is reached (I left mine a little chunky). To serve hot, you can either heat the beans and peas prior to blending or heat the blended product in the microwave for a couple of minutes (I did it that way as I also had a bit left over that I wanted to chill in the fridge without heating.)

Meanwhile, to prepare the blinis, blend together all ingredients (other than water) until very smooth. Add as much water as necessary to create a thick but easily pourable batter.

Spoon heaped tablespoons of the mixture onto a hot frying pan and fry for a minute or so on each side until golden.

Serve the blinis immediately layered up with the pea filling and onions, leaves and tomatoes. Make a big stack!

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Pancake Day

Yesterday was Pancake Day... Shrove Tuesday... Mardi Gras...

....whatever you like to call it!  I hope you had a good one.

We celebrated with pancakes at work. This type of a special day for pancakes seems to be a more British phenomenon with other cultures and countries more into pancakes of all types all year round. Don’t get me wrong we eat pancakes at other times too, it’s just that Pancake Day is that little bit more special and the supermarkets fill their ‘seasonal’ shelves with pancake mixes, eggs, lemons, sugar, maple syrup and sauces of all descriptions. Basically an opportunity to entice people with an array of sugary treats!

On Friday I tested out my first successful vegan classic pancake recipe, so check it out! I was so happy with the success I replicated it today at pancake lunch with my colleagues.  

They made up their traditional batter with eggs and milk and I made up my own egg-free batter with soy milk.  I used a little baking powder so my pancakes were ever so slightly fluffy and had more bubbles compared to theirs. I made a few extra as I knew people would be too curious not to want a taste. 

Check out their big stack and my little stack!

Vegan vs Non-vegan....the verdict?   Well, they looked and tasted pretty much identical.  I think any non-vegan would be hard pushed to tell the difference.

Digging in......

Almost as critical as the pancake itself are the toppings! Some had savoury pancakes but most of us opted for the sweet versions... we kept it simple with the classic lemon and sugar, maple syrup, blueberries, banana and cinnamon, plus there were a few lashing of nutella for some of my colleagues.

 (I know, I know....blasphemy to this blog, but I still couldn't resist a pic!)

Did I have more pancakes when I got home in the evening... um, maybe!  Pancake Day only comes round once a year after all and I had to make sure I’d ‘fully tested’ my recipe, right?

 

Plus, I really wanted to test out a gluten free version since these pancakes contain spelt. I used almond flour and potato starch instead but alas it just wasn’t happening for me and so as not disappoint others I resorted to another batch of spelt pancakes at short notice.  I will continue my GF trials for a thin pancake and let you know how I get on. I think the almond flour version may have worked out for a thick style pancake.

Mmmmm…maybe you are feeling a little peckish? Pancakes of all kinds are great all year round, particularly as a quick ans easy healthy style brunch. Maybe these fat pancakes will take you fancy?

Spiced apple panakes with date and walnut

Sweet chestnut pancakes

Blueberry banana pancakes

or how about my newest most craveable creation....the choc chunk breakfast cookie....(looks like a pancake and only takes 2 minutes!)

A finally a little something to make you smile....what to do with the last remaining dribbles of batter from the big bowl of mixture? A little love heart of course courtesy of my lovely colleagues Kasia and Piotr.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Classic British pancakes

I love pancakes of all kinds….but especially the typically British thin pancakes with thin crispy edges and bubbly holes across the surface.

But even though I love them I rarely make them this way! I think that’s partly because I look forward to Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras if we’re going to be proper about it) every year and for me the novelty and the excitement just wouldn’t be the same if I ate these pancakes all year round.

Last year was my first attempt at making vegan pancakes in this traditional style. Bearing in mind I only was only just getting into the vegan lifestyle and so my experience and maybe more importantly my intuition was simply not there….so the pancakes were an absolute disaster!  I made a big batch for me and the Boy to share but they just weren’t edible.  I think the main issue was the amount of baking powder I’d used. I looked up a number of recipes which called for 2 tablespoons of baking powder but that was just too much. The pancakes were beyond ‘fluffy’ with big crater like holes and the taste, well, it simply fizzed on the tongue! I’ve learnt a lot this past year and a lot of that has to do with trusting your instincts.

So, based on this intuition I put together a recipe that works a treat. Lightly, fluffy pancakes that holds together well and spread nice and thinly. I have used white spelt for a lighter pancake but wholemeal spelt or other flours should work fine also.  I have some more gluten free and superfood pancake experiments up my sleeve over the next couple of days ready for Pancake Day on tuesday…but for now the perfect simple classic pancake which reminds me just how far I’ve come!

Ooo yes toppings…I almost forgot! 

I have shown a classic lemon and (coconut) sugar combo, as well as a PB&J mix made from a tablespoon each of sugar free raspberry jam, homemade peanut butter and soy yoghurt- mix these together then spread on to your pancakes and top with cherries or cranberries of you fancy.

Recipe: classic pancakes

Makes 3 medium pancakes (serves 1 if you are greedy like me!)

Ingredients

½ cup white spelt flour

1 tsp ground flax or chia seed

1 tsp agave syrup

1 tsp baking powder

tiny pinch salt

2/3 cup soy milk (reduce to half if you prefer a thicker pancake)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs melted coconut oil/vegetable oil

Method

Mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients. Mix well until you have a smooth batter with no lumps.

Meanwhile heat a medium sized frying pan with very light covering of oil (I used rapeseed oil lightly rubbed over the surface with kitchen roll). Once the pan is hot add a large spoonful of batter to the pan and move the pan in circular motions to spread the batter into a larger circle. Cook for approx. 2 minutes and then carefully flip to cook the reverse for approx. 1 minute until both sides are lightly brown. Run a little more oil over the surface of the pan and then repeat for two more pancakes. 

Serve hot with toppings of your choice.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.