Oatmeal Almond Breakfast Pancakes - gluten free, dairy free, egg free

When I was a teenager, Sunday mornings often meant driving to Perkins Pancake House in Toms River, NY for breakfast. Now, you have to know, I was about as big as a minute. Not very tall - about 5'3" and probably 100 lbs when wet. And though very clearly a girl, I packed away the Big Boy's Breakfast like there was no tomorrow. And usually, an hour or so later, I was hungry again. My parents chalked it up to growing pains. Now I know better. I wasn't absorbing a damn thing. The hollow leg they thought I had was real.

My dad always ordered the Silver Dollar Pancakes. Small, little, round disks of joy swimming in maple syrup. What a sweet memory - may his resting place include many Silver Dollar Pancakes. And real maple syrup:).

I've been toiling, yes toiling, over gluten free, dairy free, egg free pancakes. Dairy free pancakes - they're a cinch. You can sub in just about any alternative milk and it'll work. But the egg part - that has been the don-your-hiking-boots-and-climb-Mt.-Vesuvius challenge. I've made Gluten Free Pancakes with silken tofu as a sub for the egg. I've made Gluten Free Teff Pancakes with banana as a sub for the egg. The results were ok, enough to post about them. But I wanted more. I want Perkins Pancake memories to flood into my frontal lobe as I eat my pancakes. I'm happy to say that my hiking boots are happy. And so is my stomach.

I'm not a big fan of Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, at least not on its' own. The flavor of the beans is just too overpowering for me. But I have a bag of it and am loathe to see it go to waste. So, it occurred to me that if I mixed it with other flours, maybe it wouldn't be as noticable. My suspicions were correct. The small amount of BRM AP GF flour that I used in this recipe was barely detectable. And I suspect that the protein in it helped the pancakes come together.

Oatmeal Almond Breakfast Pancakes
gluten free, egg free, dairy free

makes about six 5" pancakes

click here for printable recipe

1 tbsp flaxmeal
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp agave syrup (or honey)
1 tbsp canola oil (or grapeseed or coconut or light olive oil)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp soymilk (or water or other alternative milk)
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup gluten free oats
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Add flaxmeal and 3 tbsp water to blender and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Add remaining ingredients to blender jar. Blend on medium speed until combined.

Pour about 3 tbsp onto griddle (I used a greased non-stick electric table-top griddle and turned it to 300 degrees - it's not gospel - every griddle is different, so be mindful of that when you're cooking the pancakes). When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes, flip them over. Cook for another 1 - 2 minutes. Serve with topping of choice.

NOTE: If you've done any gluten free baking, you know that gluten free baked goods benefit from resting after baking. Cut into a freshly baked loaf of gluten free bread too soon after it comes out of the oven and you'll be disappointed and think you failed. Nope. Just needs to rest for a bit. After today's pancake adventure, I believe that the pancakes benefit from a little rest as well. Just as I finished flipping the last pancake onto my plate, my phone rang and I needed to take the call. I didn't get to the pancakes until about 5 minutes after they finished cooking. I think that made a positive difference in their texture. Though I hadn't put them in the oven to stay warm, you might want to give that a try. As your pancakes finish baking, throw them into a warm oven where they can sit for a bit.