There's something about buckwheat pancakes that hearkens to an earlier time—pioneer days, log cabins, pot belly stoves, and all that. Perhaps it's because buckwheat used to be a lot more popular a hundred years ago.
In spite of the name, there is no "wheat" in buckwheat. It's not even a grain or grass. Yet in many ways it behaves like wheat, and its flour produces wonderfully, unexpectedly, fluffy pancakes, with a rich, warm, earthy taste.
A Pancake Recipe You Can Make Gluten-Free
We experimented quite a bit with this recipe, including an egg, excluding an egg, all buckwheat flour (naturally gluten-free), or half buckwheat, half all-purpose flour, and you know what? It's all good.
My favorite combination includes an egg and uses half white flour and half buckwheat flour. But the combos without the egg or with all buckwheat flour were also fluffy, flavorful, and eat-way-too-many-able.
Buckwheat has zero gluten in it, so if you are at all gluten-sensitive, you shouldn't have a problem with buckwheat (just use all buckwheat flour instead of the mix in the following recipe). Griddle's on!
Make Ahead Tips
Save yourself some prep time by mixing up the pancake batter the night before, then cover and refrigerate until you're ready for breakfast. Let the batter sit on the counter while your skillet or griddle preheats, then proceed with the recipe.
Buckwheat pancakes are also good leftover. Store any extras in an airtight container or tightly wrapped for a lightning fast breakfast the next day.
How To Reheat Pancakes
Pancakes reheat really well. Although reheating pancakes in the microwave works, doing it in the toaster or in the oven results in better texture and quality. We've created a helpful guide to reheating just one pancake or a whole pile of them.
More Pancake Recipes To Start Your Day Right
- Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Zucchini Walnut Pancakes
- Chocolate Pumpkin Pancakes
- Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Buckwheat Pancakes
You can use all buckwheat flour for a 100% gluten-free buckwheat pancake if you wish. Or you can substitute the all-purpose flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking blend.
The egg is optional, we've made the pancakes both ways, with egg and without. With egg results in just a little more structure to the pancake.
Don't have buttermilk? You can substitute using 2 tablespoons of white vinegar stirred into enough regular milk to make 2 cups. (After you stir in the vinegar, let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.) Or you can mix together 1 1/2 cups of plain yogurt and 1/2 cup of milk.
Ingredients
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3/4 cup (100g) buckwheat flour
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3/4 cup (100g) all-purpose flour
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3 tablespoons sugar
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1 egg, optional
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Up to 2 cups (475 ml) buttermilk
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3 tablespoons (14g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
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Vegetable oil for coating the pan
Method
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Preheat the skillet:
Heat a well-seasoned griddle, cast iron skillet, or stick-free pan on medium heat. The pan or griddle should be ready for the batter as soon as it is mixed.
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Make the pancake batter:
Whisk together the dry ingredients—the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda—in a large bowl.
Beat the egg with a fork and stir it into half of the buttermilk. Add the melted butter and stir. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, then slowly add more buttermilk as needed to get a thick but pourable consistency for your batter (you may not need all of the buttermilk, depending on what type of buttermilk you are using and the brand of flour).
Stir only until everything is combined. Do not over-mix! A few lumps are fine.
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Ladle the batter onto the hot pan:
Put a small amount (1/2 teaspoon) of vegetable oil on the pan or griddle and spread it around with a paper towel to coat.
Ladle the batter onto the hot surface to the desired size, about 4 to 5 inches wide. (A 1/4 cup measure will ladle about a 4-inch pancake.) Reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the pancake to cook for 2 to 3 minutes on this first side.
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Flip the pancakes:
Watch for bubbles on the surface of the pancake. When air bubbles start to rise to the surface at the center of the pancake, flip the pancake. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until nicely browned.
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Keep the finished pancakes warm:
Keep your pancakes warm on a rack in the oven set on "warm," or stack them on a plate and cover with a towel as you make more. Spread more oil on the pan as needed between batches of pancakes.
Serve with butter and maple syrup.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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385 | Calories |
15g | Fat |
52g | Carbs |
11g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 4 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 385 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 15g | 20% |
Saturated Fat 7g | 34% |
Cholesterol 74mg | 25% |
Sodium 835mg | 36% |
Total Carbohydrate 52g | 19% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 11% |
Total Sugars 16g | |
Protein 11g | |
Vitamin C 1mg | 6% |
Calcium 166mg | 13% |
Iron 2mg | 14% |
Potassium 377mg | 8% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |