Pancakes & Crepes
Sprigge here! There’s nothing better than starting the weekend off with some pancakes, am I right? Sprout and I make them together almost every Sunday, so it’s turned into a fun little tradition for us. We thought you might like our recipe, as it is super simple, and can be easily converted into crepe or even waffle batter with just a few easy modifications.
Notes:
As always, we use gluten-free flour here – you are welcome to use whatever brand or mix you prefer (this recipe works with just about everything). For our pancakes, we like to use 3/4 oat flour and 1/4 of a gluten-free flour mix. But feel free to experiment with almond flour, or even buckwheat or chickpea flour if you’re feeling adventurous!
If you are making crepes: Again, we’ve been able to use hardier flour like oat and still make this work, but if you would like a more traditional crepe, we recommend sticking with a gluten-free flour blend if you can. These blends are made with starchier ingredients like rice and tapioca which help hold the crepe together, and help them maintain a softer and more pliable texture (mimicking the effects of gluten in all-purpose flour).
Just for clarity: swirling the pan to get an evenly thin and round crepe takes a LOT of practice, so don’t feel discouraged! We added a gif below to help you see the motion better. Have fun and good luck!
Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients:
-1 Cup GF flour
-1 Tbsp baking powder
-½ Tsp salt
-1-2 Tbsp sweetener of your choice
-1 Egg or flax egg (or leave out if you have neither)
-1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
-1 Tbsp Vanilla
-1 Cup dairy free milk
Steps:
First, mix together all your dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix together all your wet ingredients, being sure to use only half the milk! Totally optional, but if you are using a real egg and not a vegan substitute, you can separate the egg whites into another bowl and whip them up into stiff peaks with a hand mixer for added height and fluffiness.
Gently mix together your wet and dry ingredients, stirring until there are no more lumps of flour. If you whipped up your eggs, you may gently fold them in. From this point, continue stirring in the rest of your milk a few spoonfuls at a time until your you get a thick, but still somewhat pourable batter.
Let the batter rest for five minutes while you heat up a pan.
When the pan is ready, drop in a bit of oil or butter, then spoon in your pancake and cook on medium heat for a few minutes on each side until it’s ready. Top how you like with butter, syrup, or jam, and enjoy!
Crepes Recipe
(same as pancakes but with extra milk, a bit of oil, and no baking powder)
Ingredients:
-1 Cup GF flour
-½ Tsp salt
-1-2 Tbsp sweetener of your choice
-1 Egg or flax egg (or leave out if you have neither)
-1 Tbsp Vanilla
-1½ Cup dairy free milk
Steps:
First, mix together all your dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix together all your wet ingredients, being sure to use only half the milk! Gently mix together your wet and dry ingredients, stirring until there are no more lumps of flour. Then begin to add the rest of your milk a few spoonfuls at a time until you get a thin and runny batter.
Let the batter rest in the fridge for 15-30 minutes (you can cook right away if you like, but letting it rest longer helps make softer and more tender crepes!).
When your batter is ready, heat up a pan and set to low-medium. Pour in your batter and immediately rotate the pan with your wrist in a wide circle so that the batter spreads out to form a thin and even circle. If you are unable to do this, you can also use the back of a round spoon or ladle, gently pressing onto the top of the batter and making a spiral from the center out. This pushed the extra batter outwards to make it thin and even. Both methods take quite a bit of practice, so if you mess up a few times, it’s okay – don’t give up! The crepes will taste good regardless.
Let the crepe cook on low-medium heat until the edges firm up, the top is no longer super wet/runny, and some brown spots and bubbles have appeared on the bottom (you can use a spatula to lift and take a peek). Flip and let it finish cooking until you get the little brown spots on the other side, and you can remove and place on your plate.
You can enjoy them as a stack like pancakes, toll them up with your favorite fillings, or if you’re feeling ambitious, you can try making a mille crepe cake!
Bonus Waffle Recipe
(It’s the same as the pancakes, except with added oil, and extra sugar! This gives waffles their crispy exterior)
Ingredients:
-1 Cup GF flour
-1 Tbsp baking powder
-½ Tsp salt
-2-3 Tbsp sugar
-1 Egg or flax egg (or leave out if you have neither)
-1 Tbsp Vanilla
-¾-1 Cup dairy free milk
-2-3 Tbsp oil
Steps:
Same process as before, mixing your dry and wet ingredients separately, and mixing in the milk slowly until you get a thick but pourable batter.
Grease/spray your waffle pan, pour in your batter (not all the way – be sure to leave some room for when the waffle expands!), then cook according to your waffle iron settings.
Enjoy!