pancake recipe | lots of nice things

Recently I fancied making some little bite sized snacks suitable for a lazy sunny Sunday morning. I’ve been experimenting with rice flour and recalled having little rice flour pancakes years ago. I thought I’d try making some little pikelets and add some ground flaxseed for an added nutritional boost. I served them with agave nectar and they were crispy and tasty. The great thing about these pikelets is that they are wheat and gluten-free, vegan and contain good omega fats from the flaxseeds.

Wheat and Gluten-free Mini Pikelets with added Omega
Makes around 12
Preparation/cooking time 15 mins

1 cup rice flour
1 cup almond or other plant milk
1 tsp ground flaxseed
Pinch of salt

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and beat with a small hand whisk. The batter won’t be smooth but don’t worry.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and spoon in tablespoons of batter. Smooth them out into little rounds and cook them on one side until they are golden and crispy, before turning and cooking the other side.
3. Serve drizzled with agave nectar.

: Canadian Pancakes

Last week I was lucky enough to spend a wonderful afternoon at The Vegetarian Cookery School in the historic city of Bath – run by Rachel Demuth, of the award-winning Demuths vegetarian restaurant. If you are in the South West of England and looking for somewhere really special to dine, I recommend it.

I have to confess, somewhere along the line, I’ve always put creating sweet dishes a quiet second to savoury ones. It’s left me with a massive and flamboyant repertoire of starters, main courses, sides, dips, salads, bakes, you name it – but a much smaller range of desserts and puddings. I always tend to stay safe, with chocolate cake, mousse, ‘cheese’ cake and basic pancakes.

So I thought attending a course at The Vegetarian Cookery School focusing on V egan Puddings, Cakes and Treats, was exactly what I needed for some fresh inspiration.

I wasn’t wrong! Canadian Pancakes were first on the menu – and honestly – my favourite dish. They were simple to make and boasted a glorious texture.

While the dough for Cinnamon Rolls was chilling, 10 students were guided through preparing stages of other dishes, which included Orange Almond Cake, Empanadillas (savoury), Saffron Rice Pudding and Roasted Rhubarb and Cashew Custard filled Fruit Tartlets with Sweet Almond Pastry. The food we created was truly beautiful and I enjoyed every minute and mouthful!

The school has given me kind permission to share the Canadian Pancake recipe – and I implore you to give them a try! using ingredients most of us will already have in our cupboards and fridges – they make for a tasty after dinner treat or late breakfast. I just couldn’t resist also showing you pictures of the other dishes too.

If you would like to step up your own veggie cooking a notch and fancy treating yourself – The Vegetarian Cookery School has a whole range of courses suitable for everyone, no matter what your cooking experience. Visit their website for more information.

Canadian Pancakes from The Vegetarian Cookery School
Makes 12 pancakes

200g/7oz plain white flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g/2¾oz vegan yoghurt
2 tbsp maple syrup
200ml soya milk
1 medium banana, mashed (optional)
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Mix together the plain flour with the salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Mix together the plain yoghurt, maple syrup, soya milk and mashed banana (if using) and pour this into the flour, whisking well until you have a smooth, thick batter.
To cook the pancakes, heat a drop of sunflower oil in a frying pan, swirl the oil around to cover the whole pan.
Drop 2 tablespoons of batter into four places in the pan and cook over a medium heat until the underside of the pancakes are golden and bubbles have appeared throughout (about 30 seconds).
Loosen the pancakes by shaking the pan and then flick each one over and cook for a further 20 seconds. Continue until you have finished the mix.
Serve with fresh fruit and more maple syrup.

Here are some of the other things we made: