Allergen-Free Buckwheat Pancakes and Teff Pancakes

     The first time I made pancakes for my grandson was memorable. I knew he was allergic to wheat, dairy, and eggs, so I started by mixing up the standard flour described in many gluten-free cookbooks. This is a mixture of rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch. 

    Rice flour gives a gritty, sandy character to baked goods, so one reason for blending it with fine, powdery starches is to obtain a finer texture overall.  This is a bit like discovering, at the beach, that sand has gotten into your sandwich and deciding that you can fix that by adding a couple more slices of tomato: whatever you add, the sand is still there. 

     Anyway, I added "egg replacer," which is a chemical that is usually derived from corn, to which I am allergic (oh well), threw in rice milk, oil, etc. and got cooking.  Those pancakes did not rise, they did not hold together, and they did not have any flavor.  One of my daughters said something about "the texture of wet sand."  My husband was so shocked he still won't eat anything that is clearly labeled as "gluten-free." Even our greedy-gut dog refused to eat the darned stuff.  

     The following is the pancake recipe I came up with after much tinkering. Buckwheat, besides being a classic pancake flavor, is a surprisingly good binder, giving these pancakes a conventional pancake texture. 

     These pancakes contain no gluten or eggs, and, depending on your choices of milk and oil, can easily be dairy-, soy- and/or corn-free as well.

     1 c. teff flour 

     1/2 c. buckwheat flour

     3/4 tsp. baking soda

     1/2 Tb. cream of tartar

     1/2 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     2 Tb. sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)

     1-1/2 c. milk (or "milk") (See Milk in the Glossary)

     1/4 c. oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     Preheat a skillet on medium low on a stovetop (or preheat a griddle to 350 degrees Fahrenheit). Stir the flours, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar together in a mixing bowl.  Stir in whichever milk and oil you’re not allergic to. Allow the batter to sit for a couple of minutes so that some bubbles can develop. Scoop by half-cupfuls into the preheated skillet (or onto the preheated griddle). Flip when nicely browned on one side; remove from heat when cooked through. 

Teff Pancakes

      Teff has a particularly mild flavor and makes excellent pancakes. 

     1-1/2 c. teff flour 

     1/4 c. flaxseed meal

     3/4 tsp. baking soda

     1/2 Tb. cream of tartar

     1/2 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     2 Tb. sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)

     1-1/2 c. milk (or "milk") (See Milk in the Glossary)

     1/4 c. oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

    Preheat a skillet on medium low on a stovetop (or preheat a griddle to 350 degrees Fahrenheit). Grind the flaxseed meal in a coffee/spice grinder. Stir the teff flour, ground flaxseed meal, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar together in a mixing bowl.  Stir in whichever milk and oil you’re not allergic to. Allow the batter to sit for a couple of minutes so that some bubbles can develop. Scoop by half-cupfuls into the preheated skillet (or onto the preheated griddle). Flip when nicely browned on one side; remove from heat when cooked through.