Pancakes Falling Apart

[Ghosty]

Wonder if anyone has any tips to keep my pancakes together?

I make a dairy / gluten free pancake. Its based off of a recipe I found, but I have tweaked it to my liking. However, a problem I have is that the pancakes crumble, and I am not able to keep them together like a traditional pancake. I use about 3 cups of almond flour (I make my own so it's pure), one can coconut milk, six eggs, cinnamon, and then about a cup of berries mixed in.

I used to make them with a pre-made almond flour that was not pure and had things like potato starch and rice parts in it, among other things. It stayed together fine and was gluten free, but I don't want all that other stuff in there, and think there must be a way to keep the ones together using just almond flour...but have yet to see it.

Also, I've tried low heat, high heat, covered, uncovered, cooking a really long time, cooking small portions at a time and cooking a huge one at once an this does not seem to make a difference. The pancakes will get done on the bottom, and when I flip them they fall apart. Adding in coconut flour makes matters worse.

Do you think more eggs? Something else? Input is appreciated. Thanks!

[JNBunnie1]

Add flax that's been 'gelled' in 1/4 cup of water, and applesauce. Honestly, the eggs should be enough, but that's a lotta almond flour..... couple tablespoons of EVOO could help too.

[Darn210]

I haven't ever used almond flour just by itself so I'm not really sure how it behaves. Like bunnie, I think that looks like plenty of eggs.

I was just wandering if you have ever tried them without adding the berries (putting the berries on top afterward?) . . . just thinking like an engineer here that the berries cause a discontinuity and a place for your pancake to begin to break apart.

[bbuster]

I was just wandering if you have ever tried them without adding the berries (putting the berries on top afterward?) . . . just thinking like an engineer here that the berries cause a discontinuity and a place for your pancake to begin to break apart.

Are you an engineer, or just thinking like one??? Either way it's a good observation.

[Darn210]

Are you an engineer, or just thinking like one???

Yep . . . engineer . . . or at least I was in a former (prekids) life. Now I'm chief of "some assembly required" home projects and the occasional guesser as to what is causing that sound in the car.

[Kelleybean]

I don't know if anyone else has found this, but I have had better luck with making my gluten-free baking products smaller. So instead of regular size, what if you did "mini-pancakes"? Another thought ... are you using Bob's Red Mill almond flour? I use Honeyville - buy it in bulk from Amazon. Bob's is very coarse. I've had much better luck with Honeyville, and I prefer the taste. I'm also thinking that maybe the coconut flour made it worse b/c coconut flour absorbs so much moisture.

[bbuster]

Yep . . . engineer . . . or at least I was in a former (prekids) life. Now I'm chief of "some assembly required" home projects and the occasional guesser as to what is causing that sound in the car.

Very good! I am a Chemical Engineer as my paying job and mom as my non-paying job. And somehow the home mechanical-type stuff usually falls to me as well.

Luckily for my son, my love of "chemicals" (which is not a dirty word, by the way - in essence it just means "stuff") and experiments spills over into the kitchen.

My gluten-free repertoire has expanded enough that I periodically threaten my workplace (the paying one) that I could always quit and start a gluten-free bakery.

[Ghosty]

Thanks for the all the suggestions.

Kelley - I actually thought about making them smaller, and tried that last time...no difference though. I now make my own almond flour, but was using Honeyville and had the same results. I have used Bob's too. It is so much cheaper (and easy) to make my own that I plan on doing that now.

Darn - Good suggestion bout the berries, and I will give that a try next time. I actually throw some strawberries in a food processor and dump them in, in addition to at least two other kinds of berries, so maybe that will help to just leave em out.

Bunnie - I'll keep your suggestion in mind too...hadn't thought of that. I agree that three cups is a lotta almond flour, but that's how much I need with a whole can of coconut milk, or it is too runny.

[bbuster]

maybe Xanthan gum???

[beachbirdie]

Wonder if anyone has any tips to keep my pancakes together?

I make a dairy / gluten free pancake.

Also, I've tried low heat, high heat, covered, uncovered, cooking a really long time, cooking small portions at a time and cooking a huge one at once an this does not seem to make a difference. The pancakes will get done on the bottom, and when I flip them they fall apart. Adding in coconut flour makes matters worse.

Do you think more eggs? Something else? Input is appreciated. Thanks!

You might try cutting back on the coconut milk. Maybe two tablespoons per cup of almond flour. Or, leave it out altogether, then you won't need extra eggs.

You probably do need more eggs, or, as the other poster mentioned, a little flax gelled in water.

The rough ratio would be an egg for every quarter cup of almond flour. (1 cup flour, 4 eggs). Add a little baking soda for leavening.

As others said, you will have to make them smaller, and be a little more careful because they will burn a little faster than regular pancakes.

Worse case, check out Open Original Shared Link and other wonderful breakfast treats at No More Crohn's!

I do like Honeyville almond flour better than Bob's, it's a finer grind. And if you buy directly from Honeyville and allow them to add you to their mailing list, they will alert you to their 10% off sale which happens several times a year. They've never spammed me.

[ciamarie]

I haven't tried it with almond flour, but my rice and buckwheat flour pancakes used to fall apart, even though I put a little bit of guar gum in it, I think. What I do now is add some psyllium husk powder, about 1/2 teaspoon per 1 cup of flour. Then I let it all sit about 10 mins or so before I start to make them. I still can't flip them or try to move them without them falling apart unless I make sure the bottom is cooked first (dry on the edges).

[GlutenFreeAustinite]

Xanthan gum works for sure. Especially if you use almond flour, add a little bit of almond butter. I've used that to thicken before.

[Ghosty]

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

I ended up combining a couple suggestions and it worked beautifully.

I did one cup almond flour to four eggs. Put a bit of cinnamon in them and nothing else. They stayed together and cooked really quickly. They actually looked like pancakes too. From start to first pancake done was fourteen minutes. This included grinding the almonds into flour, and making a jam with fruit in the food processor. This is awesome that they stayed together and were so quick to cook. Exactly what I was looking for. These will be great for camping, a post work out meal, and other quick meals.

Only downside is the pancake itself doesn't have as good a taste as it did with the fruit and coconut milk in it, but I covered it with the jam I made and almond butter...so it's ok.

I can probably experiment a bit too with with the flax and Xantham that were suggested.

Thanks!

[freeatlast]

Sounds like you 've found your solution and I'm at the tailend of this conversation, but have you ever tried buckwheat pancakes? I make them all the time. They taste great and stay together great. I use water for the liquid and one egg. Will post recipe if you're interested

[Ghosty]

^ Sure Free...I would take that recipe. Good to have some options. Thanks.

[RiceGuy]

Having experimented with xanthan gum, guar gum, oil, and other things in pancakes, I can tell you that they'll turn out better without the gums. Any more than a VERY small amount of gum will produce a gooey pancake. Just leave that out, would be my suggestion. As for oil, that's a "no" as well, no matter the type. Fat may increase the viscosity of some batters, but it defeats the binding properties of the flour(s) and other ingredients. This is why leaving out the coconut milk helped.

I do use a little phyllium husk powder when making pancakes, though the effect is actually small, and they turn out fine without it too.

A thicker batter works better than a thinner one, but there probably isn't one perfect thickness for every gluten-free pancake recipe.

I haven't needed eggs to make good pancakes, but then I've never tried using almond flour. Almond and other nut flours generally do contain more oil than other types of gluten-free flours, so it stands to reason that something more may be required to keep them together. With the number of eggs you're using, it may be possible to use some coconut milk or coconut flour, but I think probably not much. Again, the oil works against the desired outcome.

Allowing time for the batter to fully thicken is what I do, so I'd suggest doing that as well. The granularity of the flour will determine how long it'll take.

And I second the suggestion of buckwheat pancakes, as long as you can find a buckwheat flour which is safe for you. I've found only one. All others are contaminated with gluten-containing grain. Your individual sensitivity may be more (or less) forgiving. Using some buckwheat or other flour along with your almond flour may help too. I find that the starchier flours do not produce as good a pancake, though a relatively small percentage can increase the fat tolerance of the batter.

I agree with you that the flavor of coconut is a plus. What I like is using coconut oil as part of the topping. That way it doesn't interfere with the batter.

[freeatlast]

^ Sure Free...I would take that recipe. Good to have some options. Thanks.

Ok, Ghosty. Here's the recipe I use. My comments, additions are in brackets.

Amazingly Easy Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancake Recipe

This recipe is on the back of Hodgson Mill Buckwheat Flour boxes, and the people at Hodgson Mill were happy to let me (GlutenFreeManna)reprint it here for you.

Get yourself a box of their buckwheat flour and try this recipe! You'll be wanting to have pancakes for breakfast every day. Extra batter can be refrigerated for a week.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• [¼ tsp baking soda]

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 Tbsp sugar [i use dark brown sugar]

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 cup milk [i use water]

• 2 Tbsp melted butter or margarine [or light tasting olive oil]

Preparation:

Preheat griddle or large skillet (if electric) to 375 F. Grease lightly with oil. Griddle is ready when small drops of water sizzle and disappear almost immediately.

Mix dry ingredients together; add egg, milk and butter or margarine, beating well after each addition.

Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto hot griddle. Cook 1 to 1½ minutes, turning when edges look cooked and bubbles begin to break on the surface. Continue to cook 1 to 1½ minutes or until golden brown.

Some User Reviews (from this board)

5 out of 5

I used: + 1/2 unsweetened applesauce (if you were going to use sweetened I would omit the sugar) + 1 cup rice milk instead of milk + 1/2 tsp of cinnamon They turned out so fluffy, it was amazing.

Takala: I just use water in pancakes. With the buckwheat flavor, other seasonings and the toppings, expecting milk to add any extra flavoring that you'd notice doesn't happen.

I have put water, olive oil, garlic and a splash of vinegar in potatoes. (I am not dairy free now, but sometimes I do stuff that way anyway, because I don't do lactose in regular milk). You can try Vance's Dairy free powder if the other things don't appeal to you or you cannot eat them. It is potato starch based.

[Ghosty]

Thanks for the recipe Free. I avoid dairy and sugar as well, and it looks like there are some alternative suggestions in there.

Thanks for the tips RiceG. Good stuff there. I shoulda asked this a while ago.

[freeatlast]

Thanks for the recipe Free. I avoid dairy and sugar as well, and it looks like there are some alternative suggestions in there.

Thanks for the tips RiceG. Good stuff there. I shoulda asked this a while ago.

You're welcome. I use Arrowhead Mills buckwheat flour and have never had a reaction.

[RiceGuy]

I use Arrowhead Mills buckwheat flour and have never had a reaction.

Then I guess you're less sensitive than I am, because I've gotten glutened several times by their buckwheat flour, as well as their millet flour. Took some time to figure out what was responsible, as there were some bags that didn't cause a problem.

[freeatlast]

Then I guess you're less sensitive than I am, because I've gotten glutened several times by their buckwheat flour, as well as their millet flour. Took some time to figure out what was responsible, as there were some bags that didn't cause a problem.

So, it was YOU! I'd remembered someone had said they had a reaction to their buckwheat. I never have. But, I HAVE had a reaction to their millet flour. That poor little bag is still sitting in the refrigerator all by itself. Will probably never use it again.

Wouldn't it be nice if we all reacted to the same things and then we could create a formula that worked everytime for everyone? Guess THAT'S never going to happen, huh?

[lynxigirl]

Ok, Ghosty. Here's the recipe I use. My comments, additions are in brackets.

Amazingly Easy Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Buckwheat Pancake Recipe

This may be a REALLY stupid question but I've never had buckwheat. Does it have a "different" taste? I'm used to pancakes that were a cup of flour, a cup of sugar, a cup of milk, a tsp of baking powder, a tsp of baking soda and a tsp of vanilla. I MISS my pancakes! Is the buckwheat a strong flavor? I've been tempted to try just the gluten-free bisquik, but I just CAN'T bring myself to do that! These SOUND good, I just don't know buckwheat.....

[RiceGuy]

This may be a REALLY stupid question but I've never had buckwheat. Does it have a "different" taste? I'm used to pancakes that were a cup of flour, a cup of sugar, a cup of milk, a tsp of baking powder, a tsp of baking soda and a tsp of vanilla. I MISS my pancakes! Is the buckwheat a strong flavor? I've been tempted to try just the gluten-free bisquik, but I just CAN'T bring myself to do that! These SOUND good, I just don't know buckwheat.....

Well, I'm still trying to figure out how to respond to the entire cup of sugar! With that 1:1 ratio of flour to sugar, I'm not sure you'd taste anything else. Never have seen any pancake recipe that sugary.

As for the taste of buckwheat, it does depend somewhat on the type. There's a darker buckwheat, which is milled from buckwheat groats with the hulls intact. However, most of the buckwheat on the market that I'm aware of is fairly light in color, because the hulls have been removed. Last I saw it, the one from Arrowhead Mills was the darker type. But again, the Arrowhead Mills buckwheat is not gluten-free.

The lighter buckwheat has a less distinguishable taste. Personally, I prefer the darker one, but I've not found a safe source. The only safe buckwheat I've found is a very light one, milled from a particular variety of buckwheat called French Acadian. It is grown, milled, and packaged with dedicated equipment and facilities, and the farm doesn't grow anything else. It's from the Open Original Shared Link.

Buckwheat pancakes have been popular for generations, enjoyed by many gluten-eating folks. It's not something only for the gluten intolerant.

Starch-based mixes like the gluten-free Bisquick generally don't have much flavor to speak of. For the picky eater, bland things can be considered as just as "icky" as flavorful things. Especially for those who are afraid of anything they view as "different".

A common recommendation to those new to a gluten-free diet, is to stick with whole, natural, unprocessed foods, and skip the gluten-free alternatives while the body has a chance to heal. This also helps the brain recover from the addictive effects of gluten. After this, the gluten-free versions of various foods won't seem so objectionable.

I guess the recipe used would have a greater impact on the flavor than the flour itself. If you're going to actually want a 1:1 ratio of flour to sugar, that IMO would be the overriding factor. Sorry, I just can't imagine doing that, and I'd also have to think they'd tend to burn very easily. But I'm not aware of any reason why you couldn't use the recipe you mentioned, using buckwheat for the flour. Although they probably won't rise like they would using wheat flour.

HTH

[freeatlast]

lynxgirl, I think these pancakes are delicious! If I'd had this recipe back then, I would have made them pre-glutenfree. Buckwheat tastes sort of like wheat to me, but better. I don't get that lead balloon feeling in my stomach after ingesting them the way I did with wheat.