Haaaaaay guys!
I’m back again with some more of my ROYAL confessions!
Last week, it was all about the tools you need to properly rule your pancake kingdom, but this week, it’s all about…
Flowers, peace, love…NOT war!
Um, wait…err…what I meant to say is today’s post is all about…
FLOURS!
I was close though, right? Ha! I promise I’m not on drugs (anymore)…and for the record, my parents aren’t even old enough to have been hippies! 😉
Besides, if I were on drugs, could I have made this breakfast yesterday?
More frozen Coconut Cauliflower Pancakes with a side of eggy goodness!
And before you “get bent” on my delicious sweet & savory combination, remember today isn’t the day to question my weird food tendencies…those conversations are reserved for Fridays!
Ok, now where was I?
Breakfast…pancakes…subtract the 1, carry the 2…drugs…flowers…
Ahh, that’s right, FLOURS!!!
So let’s start with my favorite, which actually isn’t a flour at all…
Until a good trip whirl in the trusty Magic Bullet…
Ta-daaaaaaaaaa!
I used to use whole wheat pastry flour for ALL my pancakes! The difference between PASTRY flour and whole wheat flour is the amount of gluten it contains. Pastry flour has LESS gluten…think pastry, like tender cookies and magic brownies soft bread. Gluten helps ingredients stick together and gives baked goods a chewy consistency.
Once gluten comes in contact with liquid (and air…while stirring), it starts the binding process. The longer you stir, the stronger that bond becomes. That is why you see recipes that state not to over-stir your batter…the more you stir, the chewier and denser the end result will be!
A few months ago I made the change from whole wheat flour to oat flour. I’ll be honest, the main reason I switched was so that I could get MORE bang for my {caloric} buck…
ya know, in case I got the munchies later!
1/4 cup whole wheat flour = 102 calories
THEN I realized the other benefit…
While whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry) tends to weigh a bit more, freshly ground oat flour, is a bit lighter. And when your flour is lighter your pancakes are FLUFFIER, think air and clouds and rainbows!
Same thing goes for my other go-to flour…
Made from buckwheat!
Aww, aren’t they cute?
Little nuggets of gluten-free goodness! Wait, I think I hear them singing Bob Dylan! 😉
Of course there are PLENTY of other gluten-free flours out there to choose from: sorghum, brown rice, millet, quinoa, orrrrr the one that packs a punch…
The leader of the flower patch flour pack…
Peanut flour!
With only 110 calories per 1/4 cup serving, not only can this flour boast to be gluten-free, but it also gives you 15 GRAMS of all-natural protein!
The absorbency is similar to regular flour so, unlike when working with protein powders (a confession for another day), you don’t have to worry about tweaking ingredients to be sure you don’t end up with a pancake that resembles (and tastes like) a frisbee! 😉
And of course the obvious perk…it tastes like PEANUT BUTTER!!
Just remember one thing about working with gluten-free flours:
Since there is NO GLUTEN, the ingredients have nothing to bind them together so, in order for you to keep your pancake batter from forming a pancake LAKE in your skillet, throw in a pinch (about 1/8 teaspoon) of a thickener ingredient such as xanthan gum, or cornstarch and problem solved!
Or you can add a little seeeeeecret (like a spy in ‘Nam) ingredient that will not only give fluff to your stack, but also give them the consistency of….CAKE!
The illustrious tambourine-playing, headband-wearing, peace-keeping…
Coconut Flour!
If you’re looking to add thickness, and CAKE-like consistency to your stack, all you need is ONE tablespoon but keep in mind that if you are using more than that, alterations will need to be made.
Coconut flour is EXTREMELY absorbable. Don’t believe me? Check this out:
The photo on the left is one teaspoon of WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR mixed with one teaspoon of water. The photo on the right is one teaspoon of
COCONUT FLOUR mixed with one teaspoon of water.
Coconut flour requires a higher liquid to dry ingredient ratio usually made from some sort of milk and eggs. Honestly, even though I’ve been working with this flour for months now, I still run into problems every once in a while…add too much milk and you end up with coconut flour sauce…add too many eggs/egg whites and you’re eating a sponge.
And now…a “true” confession if you will…
Remember these guys?
Well, after a reader contacted me a few weeks ago telling me she had problems with my recipe, I took off my bra decided to test it out myself and THIS is what happened:
TWICE!
So needless to say, once my knee is finished healing and I’m back to my pancake flippin’ ways, I have a mission to accomplish…figure out what the h– RAINBOWS I forgot to write down in the original recipe!
What was your latest kitchen fail?
What’s your hippie name?
Mine is “Heart Holder”! 😆
You’re freaking adorable. And I assure you from the bottom of my trying to make a coconut flour bread heart that it is a liquid sucking machine! I can get the TASTE right but that freaking bread just crumbles away….
Eggs baby…EGGS!! It’s amazing how many you have to add (which is why I use egg whites too) but I swear it’s the only thing out there that combats that texture…and keeps you from the “oh my god, I just baked a sponge” moments! 😉
So interesting to learn about why you choose the flours that you do! And you’ve just reminded me that I need to try coconut flour sometime…
Yes, yes you do! I promise you it’s worth every penny! Not only for pancakes, but it’s also great in smoothies AND it makes a great sauce…for pancakes! 😉
Peace Brodderick. Your hippie name is better. Brodderick? Where did it get that from?
Haha, probably the same place they got their mushrooms! 😉
Thanks for all the flour info . . . I’m definitely still learning!! I just recently fell in love with coconut flour (oh my, is it good!), and use that same peanut flour all the time. Love the oat flour idea, and I didn’t realize it could save me a few calories. Nice!
Oh, and my hippie name: Peace Hearth! 🙂
Haha, so nice to “meet” you Peace! 😉
I swear I had a container of coconut flour in my pantry for almost a year before I ever really did anything with it! I can’t believe I was missing out for so long! Oh, and not sure if you’ve tried this since you’re a new convert, but if you throw a tablespoon into a smoothie, it totally changes everything! Light almost cake-like flavor and it makes it so THICK!
oooooh, love the tip for adding a T. to my smoothie. I will definitely be trying that. 🙂
Oh coconut flour… I love the stuff but it’s such a pain in the butt to work with that I usually tend to avoid it. Each time I’ve tried to make pancakes with it, they end up not cooking all the way through and falling apart. Bugger. Oat flour is much more user friendly.
Much love,
Aquamarine Marina (wtf?)
Bahaha! Ok, this hippie name maker sucks…either that or your hippie parents took a few too many trips! 😉 Howabout…Sunnie Clearwater? 😉
Hey, this is Aquamarine Holder! Wtf. Hahahaaaa!! 🙂
I love that post about the drugs, errrrr, grass. Wait. Bare Feet. Ugh. Hairbands? Flours. Now I got it. Flours. I absolutely love to bake with oatflour and even more with oatbran (as you know from my lates pancake recipe) It’s so interesting to read how the flours work! I am not so sure about the consistency that coconut flour makes, for me, it tastes a bit ……. Mealy? Floury? I know that seems superstupid since it IS a flour, but ya know when an apple is pld and tates floury? I just not a fan. But the smell is amazing!!!
Ok, I stop blablahing now! Package goes off tmrw, woooot!!
NO, that describes it PERFECTLY! It’s got that dry grittiness to it almost like cornmeal…and the comparison to the apple…YES! I never thought about that, but you’re so right! And I really need to try working with oatbran! My gosh, woman, you are a genius! So genius that you deserve a PROPER hippie name which shall beeeeeeeeee….Daisy Meadowbrook! 😉
Cyan Cornucopia..uh..what? haha
I had the same thing happen to me when I tried to make your recipe for Coconut Protein Pancakes! Let us know if you figure out what got left out because they look incredible!
Ok…so I know that a cornucopia is supposed to be a GOOD thing, but that is one of the ugliest words in our language! I call for a KMB rename! You shall now answer to the name of….Cocoa Merriweather! 😀
And I promise you, Cocoa, the mystery of the Coconut Protein Pancake flop will soon be discovered!! 😉
Lilac Hearth. Make me want to frolic through a field.
I love that you did that experiments with the coconut flou vs. ww. Now I want to do it with every flour in my kitchen…
Awww, I was hoping you’d get a fairy sounding kind of name…my little Tinkerbell! 😉 I have to admit, that little experiment kinda made me feel a bit like Alton Brown for a minute there! haha! Man I miss The Food Network!
I seriously love these posts. SO helpful.
I’ve just recently started experimenting with coconut flour (finally) and the results are AMAZING…as long as I get the measurements right. Otherwise my pancakes turn into a crumbly mess. I still haven’t tried using oat flour but, after this post, I definitely will! I never thought about how much lighter & fluffier it could make things.
Have a lovely week, Heather!
“…and the results are AMAZING…as long as I get the measurements right.” <- truer words were never spoken! I love the flavor of it so much I wish I could just throw it in anything without thinking, but I've bitten into my fair share of "sponge" pancakes to know that that isn't gonna happen! Lol The oat flour is a must! I swear I never even use my whole wheat flour anymore...I'm all about some thick and FLUFFY pancakes!
I love all this flour info and the freaking hilarious way that you present it!
Aww, thank you Kim! Hey, learning always needs to be FUN! 😀
GREAT POST!! Not being a cook – a huge help to me!!!! THX!!
OK – still waiting for your tweet & pin button so I can just point & click away with all your wonderfulness!!!
Oh no! I mean, not about the post, I’m STOKED that you liked it, but I totally misunderstood you last time…I thought you were talking about the buttons/links to my Twitter/Facebook pages (which actually were missing and I’m glad I got that fixed) but I didn’t realize you meant for shares for the posts! So sorry, love! I need to look into that for sure! I’ll let you know as soon as I get it figured out! 😀
I am not the most eloquent! 😉 I always want to share your posts but I have to copy & paste to tweet it out – just trying to share the love! 🙂
Oh no, the misunderstanding was all on my part! Thank you so much Jody, I REALLY appreciate the love…whenever I see your tweets pop up on my phone, it always makes me smile! 😀
I heart you haha.
Coconut flour is like a dream, in some things…others now so much. I think it’s either a hit or a miss. I mean, the taste is awesome but getting it right is dang hard.
Oat flour is also one of my loves and buckwheat flour too actually. So much more bang for your buck than the ol’ whole wheat pastry flour;)
Oh girl, I hear ya…can’t tell you how many times I’ve been working at a pancake recipe with coconut flour and felt like I was sinking my teeth into a dry sponge! :-/
I heart you MORE! xoxo
COCONUT FLOUR! Yaaaaay. I have a love-hate relationship with it. It only seems to work for pancakes & waffles. AND HEY! I MADE A PANCAKE the other day! Are you proud?
No WAY!!! I am SO proud!!! Doing the jazz hands version of a happy dance right now JUST for you! 😉
Hahah nice to meet you Heart Holder. I’m Heart Valley.
And thanks for all the info in this post! Maybe now I will actually have the confidence to start experimenting with pancakes more. I’ve been using a mix for the past few months. Shhh don’t tell anyone. 😉
Haha, no shame found in playing with mixes, HV! I swear by the Kodiak Cakes brand when I’m feeling lazy…plus, it’s good to build up your confidence with a mix…that way if you end up having a major flipping/cooking fail, you don’t feel so bad! 😀
I kinda love this post for so many reasons. 1) I’m hippie at heart (Meadow Hearth), 2) I love Bob Dylan, and 3) I was literally standing in the bulk section of my grocery store yesterday going what the flips the difference between whole wheat and pastry flour. And here’s the answer. You actually read my mind. Amazing.
Ok, so the similarities we’ve been having lately have already been strange enough, but now I’m reading your mind! What magic dust did you sprinkle in that puzzle box, woman?! 😉
Meadow Hearth…omg, I can totally see that working for you! Imma buy you a headband! Lol
Peanut Flour is just amazing. I love everything about it!
As for my hippie name? I don’t love it. Aquamarine Holder. what?
Yeah…WHAT?! That’s it, I’m renaming you…you shall be…Lily Rainwater! 😀
Goll girl, you just always keep me laughing…and so well informed! I can’t believe I never thought that I could just make buckwheat flour the same what I make oat flour…or that I would get the same results with oat flour that I might with whole wheat pastry flour! I’ve not experimented very much with coconut flour, but I do know it can be a tricky balance with moisture. Thanks for doing the dirty work. 🙂
I’d get dirty for you anytime, sweets! Just as long as your smiling! 😉
Awesome post, Heather!!! I didn’t know all that about gluten (and I think I’m an over stir-er… oops haha) I also love the idea of using more oats and peanut flour in my baking! Seriously, you ROCK! I’m sharing this post!
Aww, I’m SO glad you liked it! I had so much to share I was worried it was going to sound jumbled up…or just be so long that no one would bother to read all of it! Ha!
I know you love your peanut butter smoothies, but maybe you can save a spoonful or two of the peanut flour for some pancakes soon, eh? <- That's it, I've been reading too many Canadian blogs! Lol
I think you’ve just talked me into getting a Magic Bullet. I need a new food processor after I broke our old mini one trying to make these Date ball things that ended up just getting stuck in the motor (don’t ask how I managed that one!).
Oh my gosh! Hope you were able to salvage at least one or two balls from the “wreckage”! 😉 I swear, I use my Magic Bullet more than I EVER use my food processor OR my blender and I’ve had it for about 5 years now! It’s so handy and SO easy to clean! Definitely a good investment!
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Haha, okay, your hippie references had me cracking up throughout. I love homemade oat flour. And sure, for those health and baking reasons, but also those holy-cow-it’s-cheap reasons, haha. And I can just have one container with oats instead of ten containers with all sorts of flours! Streamlining. I have yet to try buckwheat flour from groats (love the dense pre-made stuff, though). Hmm, maybe that means it’s Whole Foods time 😉 I haven’t been in forever–We should take a trip when you’re back on your feet!
Oh yeah, it’s ALL about the streamlining…says the girl with 10 different containers of flour in her pantry! 😉 Oops? I have to say I was disappointed with the pre-made buckwheat flour…I thought it was really earthy tasting which was fine for savory things, but never worked well in sweet pancake recipes.
And ooooooookay, you totally twisted my arm…I guess I could manage to drag myself into Whole Foods sometime soon! 😉
You know that fail picture!? happens everytime i tried doing a pancake with coconut flour… 🙁 so upsetting, i have no clue what im doing wrong
Don’t feel bad girlie…coconut flour is seriously tricky! It’s all about the right ratio of eggs and milk. You should give these a try: http://www.kissmybroccoliblog.com/2012/07/15/pbj-coconut-pancakes/ It was my first successful coconut flour pancake recipe…pretty simple and straight-forward…and I KNOW that one works since I made them at least half a dozen times! Lol
Love this post! Your info on the all of the different flours was very helpful! I love buckwheat flour and haven’t used it since I started cooking/baking with almond flour. I need to get some again, because buckwheat banana nut pancakes sound so good right now! Also, I am intrigued by oat flour; I didn’t even realize it contained less calories than whole wheat. I’m all for getting the best “calorie bang for your buck,” so I’m going to have to grind up some oats and use it the next time I make pancakes.
Aww, so glad you found it helpful! I swear there was so much I wanted to write but didn’t want to have a mammoth of a post! Yeah, I was really surprised by the calorie difference too…especially since so many flours tend to have around the same stats only varying on the amount of fiber! Mmmm, be sure to send some of those buckwheat banana nut cakes my way…I’ve heard that is the BEST cure for a gimpy leg! 😉
I’m super obsessed with pancakes, so this was a pretty fantastic time to come to your blog for the first time!
PS. actually lol’d with a mouthful of yogurt at your “what the h-RAINBOWS” 🙂
Pancake obsessions are the best kind of obsessions if you ask me! Thanks for stopping by girlie! And I’m so glad someone caught the rainbow thing! 😉
Mine is Mini Thumbs. Because, well I have tiny thumbs 🙂 Wait, that’s kind of more of an Indian name huh?….
And I just started using oat flour and love it!! I was thinking the other day of making pancakes but wanted to try something new, so I whirled away some oats and got my flour, then just threw in some things and cooked them up! So yummy 🙂 Although coconut flour is probably my favorite simply because Im totally obsessed with coconut~!
You’re right…I’d totally think Indian with that…hmm, wonder if you’re related to Stands with a Fist? 😉
Coconut flour is by far my biggest (RE-discovered) addiction! I swear I had it in my pantry FOREVER not really knowing what to do with it, until the first time I added it to my pancakes…and the rest, is hissssssstory! Lol
You’re hilarious….how you went from hippies to flour to pancakes I have no idea but it was awesome.
My mind is a strange and convoluted world! ;P
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My hippie name is “Oceania Moonshine”. Love.
Haha! Omg, that’s the BEST one so far!! Love it!
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