I’m doing a little better with the early-rising. I’m blaming the strange routine we had in Edinburgh for throwing me a little and meaning I’m still not up as early as I’d like. Pancakes are a definite motivation to get me out of bed in the morning though and these are indulgent but healthy ones to boot!
I have very little experience with gluten-free baking. I don’t need to eat gluten-free although I appreciate many people feel better when eating less gluten. I’m all for eating less refined food though and try to use mainly whole grain flours in my kitchen. Making some empanadas a short while ago (recipe coming soon!) I had used up the ends of a few bags of flour and was left with a choice of chickpea or teff flours, incidentally both gluten-free.
I frequently use teff flour to make Injera, a delicious Ethiopian fermented flat bread that is perfect for scooping up wat (thick vegetable and lentil stews) but figured I could diversify and use it for other kitchen creations. Its mild, nutty, almost sweet flavour is ideal for pancakes.
As well as incorporating banana into the batter for moisture, I thought I’d go all out and top my pancakes with caramelized bananas! You might think that sounds more like dessert than breakfast, but serving two this recipe’s really not that high in sugar and fat (coconut oil and coconut sugar also contain some nutrition unlike their refined counterparts). The caramel bananas would also make a delicious, easy dessert served with a scoop of non-dairy ice cream or coconut cream.
I was really pleased with how these turned out. I’ve read that gluten-free baking can sometimes end up gummy but I did my research and seem to have managed to get the ratios spot on
Ingredients
- 1/2 C Teff flour
- 2 Tbsp Tapioca starch (or other starch)
- 1/2 Tbsp Coconut sugar
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 C Almond milk
- 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Ground flax + 3 Tbsp water
- 1/4 C Mashed banana (1/2 medium banana)
- 1 Tbsp Coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/2 Bananas, cut on the diagonal into rounds
- 1/2 Tbsp Coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 Tbsp Coconut sugar
- Dash of cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Combine apple cider vinegar with almond milk to make “buttermilk”.
- Whisk together ground flax, water and mashed banana and add to the almond milk mixture. Whisk in melted coconut oil. Stir liquid ingredients into dry, just until all the flour is incorporated.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and wipe with a little coconut oil. Scoop pancake batter onto pan in 1/3 C increments. The mixture is pretty thick so you might need to spread it with a spatula for even circles. Leave pancakes untouched until little bubbles appear and the edges are dry. Flip carefully and cook for another couple of minutes on the other side. Keep warm in an oven on low-heat until ready to serve. Repeat until all batter is used up.
- Meanwhile, make the caramelized bananas.
- Heat another smaller pan over medium heat and add coconut oil and coconut sugar. Stir to combine. Lay banana slices on top of caramel mixture and leave for a minute. Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon if you like. Flip and cook another 30 seconds. Remove from pan. I let mine cook a little too long and they were falling apart slightly.
- Serve immediately over warm pancakes.
It was a lovely sunny morning when I made these so I took my plate outside to enjoy my breakfast in the fresh air. Bliss.
What’s your favourite “special” breakfast?
Do you eat gluten-free? Any baking tips to share?
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I am so making these pancakes for breakfast tomorrow - I’ve burnt myself out on smoothies. Would pumpkin work in place of the bananas? I’m just not a fan of cooked banana (in things or on top of them - I’m fussy lol).
I do eat gluten-free and have done since before I started blogging. Not for reasons of weight loss (wheat makes me lose weight rather quickly due to its…side effects) or going along with any fads - I’ll never know if I’m coeliac or not because I’ve tried to eat enough wheat to be able to take the test for antibodies reacting to it etc. and failed many times simply because after 48 hours of eating even small amounts I’m in so much agony that I have to stop!
Yay! I hope you like them. I’m sure pumpkin would be a fine sub for the banana in the batter- it’s really just for moisture and a touch of sweetness.
What do you like for toppings?
It certainly sounds as if you have a wheat allergy judging from those symptoms! Poor you!
Great - I’ll be making them on Friday as I need to pick up some pumpkin tomorrow (used my last can and didn’t realise - boo). I’ll let you know how the recipe goes - I’m sure I’ll love them since I really like the distinct, nutty taste of teff.
I’m quite partial to peanut flour sauce with a sprinkling of cocoa powder and cinnamon as a topping, or else Sun Warrior protein ‘frosting’ (noooo, I can’t believe I used that phrase lol). That probably sounds disgusting to everyone else - I said I was picky, not that I had good taste 😉 I do love banana soft serve, but I’m funny about them in baked goods (must be the only person not to like banana bread) or cooked.
Oh, and I meant to say that’s a really lovely pic of you on the sidebar, below the avocados and above the bowl of oats - I’d never noticed it before
Care to loan me some of your thick and shiny hair and glowing skin?
Thank you
Those are my instagram pics on the sidebar so they update whenever I post a photo there. That explains why you haven’t noticed it! Just got a haircut today, it’s usually a messy mane!
Ah, you see I’m too backward when it comes to technology to have Instagram. Sometimes I check out people’s Instagrams through Twitter, but that’s about it!
I finally had all of the ingredients for the pancakes and made them this morning - a definite hit with me
They’re quite dense, but not stodgy at all, and the nuttiness from the Teff flour works really well. They’ll make a great autumn/winter breakfast for sure - I’m going to experiment with different toppings! Thanks so much for another great recipe.
xxx
So pleased you made and enjoyed them
You used pumpkin instead of banana, right? I guess that might have made them a little denser? If you make them again do share a pic!
Yes, I used pumpkin and also Truvia as the only sweetener, so I think that might affect the overall texture too. ‘Dense’ is a compliment though - I can’t stand airy, light pancakes because they always leave me starving hungry an hour later, and that’s no good for me at all!
Haha, my first attempts were not so pretty - I’ll need a bit of practice so I can get some nice, evenly shaped pancakes and then I’ll be sure to take a pic
Lovely recipe! Where do you get the teff flour from? I can’t get it up here guaranteed gluten free!
Thanks Vicky. I buy a lot of my ingredients like flours, nuts, seeds and dried fruit from Goodness Direct online. They’re really good value. The teff flour I used is the “Tobia” brand http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/750943_Tobia_Teff_Brown_teff_flour_1kg.html
They’ve changed their packaging since I bought mine though!
That looks delicious!
These pancakes sounds absolutely wonderful, even though I’m not a big fan of bananas. Not sure I’ll be able to find teff flour here, though possibly if I go to Sprouts which is on the other side of town. I definitely want to add this recipe to my breakfast possibilities.
I think my favorite breakfast these days is açai bowls, a Brazilian idea. The ones I make have frozen açai pulp, frozen strawberries, fresh mango, and vanilla protein powder. I add a little water to rinse out the açai packets, and also add ice cubes to thicken it up. Sprinkle the top with homemade granola, and both my husband and I are in heaven.
The acai bowl sounds really yummy. I’ve only ever seen acai berry powder and juice here, and haven’t used either. If you can’t get hold of teff you could probably use another wholegrain gluten-free flour in its place.
I like the frozen pulp better for açai bowls than the juice (I have tried that) because it is way lower in carbs due to no added sugar. I think most good natural food groceries might carry the frozen açai pulp. The only brand I’m aware of is Sambazon, and they are a company that would make most people happy with how they do business. And you can use bananas or other fruit in the bowls - I just use what I like. I really wish we would get a good health food store or natural grocery on my side of town. Right now it’s a major expedition to the Sprouts store on the far side. I will check out to see what kind of flours are available there on my next trip. Thanks for the info.
I’ve honestly never had great experiences working with teff flour, but I’m very excited to get your recipe because it really does sound like a winner. Perhaps I’ve just been approaching it the wrong way… I don’t see how you could go wrong with such luscious pancakes!
I think pancakes are definitely more forgiving than “proper” baking, so I figured they were a good way to start my teff trials. After their success I think I’ll try something a bit more ambitious with it next time!
These look sooo good Emma! Caramelized bananas are the perfect pancake topping… or ice cream, or anything else really, lol. I just read about your dining experiences in Scotland too and everything looked delish, esp those desserts!!! 😉
Thanks Heather. I’ll definitely be making caramelized bananas again! I’m already missing Scotland. We had such a great time
These look amazing! I love the sound of coconut sugar. My ‘special’ brekka is scrambled tofu with mushrooms and beans on toast. Or gingerbread waffles. Yum!
Gingerbread waffles sound amazing! Do you have a recipe? I love a good tofu scramble too but for dinner not brekkie as I can’t handle savoury first thing.
It’s a recipe from Vegan Brunch!
That’s sealed the deal then!
Yum - caramelized bananas!! A wonderful Sunday breakfast and hey, tomorrow’s Sunday! Celeste
Thanks Celeste! Wonder if you had a pancake Sunday today!
Thanks so much for the recipe! I made it this morning and the pancakes were delicious (and so freaking filling, too!)
That’s great to hear Sarah! Thanks so much for letting me know you liked them. I haven’t made this recipe for a while but I think I need to, and update the terrible photos too!