Gluten-Free Fluffy Pancakes
Gluten-Free Fluffy Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups oat flour
- 3.5 tsps baking powder
- 1 tbsp sugar granulated
- 1 ¼ cups milk skim
- 1 large egg whole
- 45 g applesauce unsweetened
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter for the pan, used between batches as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl sift together the oat flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until evenly combined.
- Add the skim milk, egg, and unsweetened applesauce to the dry mixture. Whisk together until just combined and smooth. A few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix or the pancakes will be dense rather than fluffy.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a small amount of butter and swirl to coat the pan. The butter should sizzle gently but not brown immediately. If it browns right away the pan is too hot, lower the heat slightly before adding the batter.
- Pour a quarter cup of batter per pancake into the pan. Cook until bubbles form across the surface of the pancake and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, adding a small amount of butter between batches as needed.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Anybody who is gone gluten-free knows… finding a gluten free pancake recipe that actually delivers on the fluffy part is harder than it should be.
A lot of them come out dense or just a little off in a way that is hard to describe but immediately noticeable when you are used to a real pancake.
BUT THESE are light, tall, tender, and taste like a proper pancake that happens to be made with oat flour.
The ingredient list is short and there is nothing in here that requires a trip to a specialty store.
Oat flour, skim milk, egg, applesauce, and a few pantry staples.
That is it.
At 264 calories per serving these work as a satisfying weekend breakfast without going overboard, especially if you are topping them with fresh fruit rather than a heavy syrup situation.
What Makes These Fluffy
The amount of baking powder in this recipe is higher than a standard pancake recipe and that is intentional. Oat flour does not have the same structure as all purpose flour and needs a little extra lift to get the pancakes to rise properly and stay light rather than sitting flat and dense in the pan. Do not reduce it.
The applesauce is doing double duty here. It adds moisture that keeps the pancakes tender without making the batter too thin, and it adds a very subtle sweetness that you cannot identify as applesauce in the finished pancake but would notice if it was missing.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
Whisk the batter only until just combined. Lumps are fine and overmixing is the fastest way to end up with flat, tough pancakes. The same rule applies here as with any pancake batter… mix less than you think you need to.
The pan temperature matters more with oat flour pancakes than it does with a standard recipe. Medium heat is the right temperature. Too high and the outside sets before the inside has time to cook through, which makes flipping messy and leaves the center undercooked. The butter should sizzle gently when it hits the pan. If it browns immediately the heat is too high.
Wait for bubbles to form across the full surface of the pancake before you flip. This is the reliable visual cue that the bottom is set and the inside is nearly cooked through. Flipping too early is how pancakes fall apart.
A quarter cup of batter per pancake is the right amount for a pancake that is thick enough to be fluffy but not so large that it is hard to flip cleanly. Stick to that measurement for consistent results across the whole batch.
These are best served immediately straight from the pan. If you are making a full batch and want to keep them warm while you cook the rest, place them on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.
