Buttermilk Pancakes with Fresh Blueberry Sauce

Sunday is my favorite day to cook. It’s the one day that my husband and I are home together. So I usually try to make something special for the two of us, either for breakfast or for dinner. Sunday also seems to be the one day of the week where I don’t have to rush around or be somewhere, so I can actually devote a big part of the day to cooking and/or baking.

Before I was gluten-free, my husband and I would often make Sunday morning trips to the Jonesville Store for breakfast. My favorite thing on their menu was the buttermilk pancakes. Every week they would have a pancake special that would incorporate a different flavor combination, usually whatever was in season. Sometimes it would be blueberries, which were my favorite. Other times it would be apples and cinnamon. No matter the combination, they were all amazingly delicious! They made their pancakes thin and cooked them to perfection, keeping them light and fluffy with beautiful crispy edges. I never ordered anything other than their pancakes, because I knew nothing else could compare.

Once I went gluten-free, my trips to the Jonesville Store came to an end, and since then, they’ve gone out of business. And, so my pancake experiment began.

I tried the gluten-free pre-packaged mixes available at the grocery store, but they didn’t make the cut. Then I started looking at online recipes, and in cookbooks that I thought might come close. The recipe I am posting today for Buttermilk Pancakes comes the closest so far. I’ve adapted this recipe from its original, found in Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free, by Karen Morgan (Cronicle Books, 2010). First, I added some flaxseed meal for additional health benefits. Flaxseed is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which fight against inflammation in our bodies and is high in most of the B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and fiber.[i] Second, I cook my pancakes in coconut oil instead of safflower oil or cooking spray. I absolutely love coconut oil, and use it in a lot of my baked goods because it gives a slight hint of coconut flavor without being overwhelming. If you are not a coconut fan, you can use butter or other vegetable oils.

 A good source for coconut oil is Trader Joe’s. Their Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is relatively inexpensive and it’s gluten-free. Regular grocery stores and health food stores also carry coconut oil, but at a much higher price. Coconut oil comes in solid form, usually in a jar, not a bottle like most oils. For these pancakes, you can just scoop a little out into your pan, and it will melt just like butter.

There are some flours in this recipe that you might not recognize: millet flour and glutinous rice flour. Millet flour is available at the Honest Weight Food Co-op located at 484 Central Ave., Albany, NY. Millet flour is rich in B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc. It is mild in flavor, and produces excellent texture in baked goods. Glutinous rice flour is available at the Asian Supermarket located at 1245 Central Ave, Albany, NY. Glutinous rice flour is made from ground sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin shal, mochi rice, and/or pearl rice. Glutinous rice flour is very inexpensive and is an excellent way to attain a light, moist texture in gluten-free baking.[ii]

I’ve also added a homemade blueberry sauce to this pancake recipe to make them even more divine! Feel free to make different berry sauces by just swapping out the blueberries for whatever berry you have on hand, or in season.

Enjoy! 

Buttermilk Pancakes with Fresh Blueberry Sauce
Pancake Ingredients:

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour/meal
½ cup millet flour
2 tablespoons glutinous rice flour
1-2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon guar gum
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup organic buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-2 tablespoons Coconut oil
 
Blueberry Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Water
 
To make pancakes:
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk to blend. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter until smooth.

Heat griddle pan or large skillet over medium heat. Melt coconut oil and spread over griddle or pan to lightly coat. Pour ¼ cup batter onto the griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the top of each pancake and the bottom is golden brown; flip.

Cook until other side is golden brown. Remove from pan, transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200° oven uncovered while cooking the remaining pancakes.
 
To make blueberry sauce:

Place blueberries in a small saucepan. Add enough water to cover blueberries halfway. Turn heat to medium high  Add sugar and stir. Put cornstarch in a small dish and add a few tablespoons of warm water, stirring to remove lumps. Add cornstarch mixture to blueberries, and bring to a boil, stirring often. Once sauce thickens, remove from heat. Serve warm over hot pancakes.

This recipe makes 8 5-in. round pancakes.

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[i] http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/flaxinfo.htm

[ii] Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free by Karen Morgan