Buckwheat pancakes with blueberries are a real treat for breakfast or they make a tasty, light dessert too.

Despite it’s name, buckwheat is part of rhubarb family—not wheat. It is gluten free and so makes an excellent alternative for those who are intolerant to wheat.

These buckwheat pancakes are very easy to make. They also freeze really well, and from frozen, you simply place the buckwheat pancake on a dry, hot pan and within minutes they are ready to eat and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS FOR BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES

Makes 6-7 small pancakes

• 100g wholemeal buckwheat flour
• 1 large egg
• 250 ml of rice or almond milk (I use Rude Health Brown Rice Milk)
• 50 ml of water
• 1 tablespoon natural, bio yoghurt (not fat-free)
• Coconut oil to fry

For the topping of each serving (1 or 2 pancakes):

• Heaped tablespoon of fresh blueberries
• 5-6 walnut halves
• 2 teaspoons of natural, bio yoghurt
• Optionally, if you still crave sweetness, a tiny drizzle of maple syrup

Method

Sift the buckwheat flour into a large bowl. Add all of the pancake ingredients, excluding the coconut oil, and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the batter to thicken. Give it another quick whisk. Now it’s ready to cook.
Take a large frying pan or pancake pan and heat until it is hot. Add approx 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil. Fill a soup-ladle half full of the batter mixture and place in the middle of the hot pan. Slowly empty the ladle allowing a small circular pancake to form. The pancake will quickly ‘bubble’ whilst it’s cooking. When all of the liquid has become firm, using a fish-slice or spatular, carefully flip the pancake over and cook the other side. These pancakes are more fragile than their wheat counterparts so flipping takes a little more care. If the first one goes pear-shaped, don’t worry, it will still taste good. You will slowly get the hang of these more fragile pancakes.

For the next pancake, you may not need any more coconut oil, but by the third pancake you will need a tiny nib more. When the pan is really hot, you don’t need much oil at all.

Keep the pancakes warm if eating immediately, or create a stack with a square of baking parchment / greaseproof paper between each pancake if you wish to freeze them. When frozen, you can bag them: the paper between them allows you to separate them from the pile according to how many you need. To cook from frozen, simple heat your frying pan (no oil required), cook for just a couple of minutes each side until they are once more piping hot.

Variations:

There are countless toppings you could add to your buckwheat pancake:

Try strawberries, raspberries, pineapple or kiwi instead of the blueberries. Try almonds, pecans or pistachio as an alternative to walnuts.