Pancakes!

Or, more accurately: Pancakes, A Work In Progress. :)

Because I enjoy tinkering with recipes, trying new ideas or aiming for a better result, pretty much all of my recipes are works in progress. This one, though, truly deserves the title as I just started working with it this week.

I really love pancakes. They are a genuine comfort food for me; a guaranteed producer of happiness. Cupcakes are a happy food, but pancakes get bonus points for sheer homey comfort. I think that the recipe I started with came from my mom, which gives it a whole other level of comfort and delight.

These are fairly thin, moist pancakes, which is what I like. I'm not much into the big, thick, heavy, doughy (or dry) kind. Especially as I have gone through a journey of using less and less syrup, finally reaching the point where I skip it altogether, I need my pancakes to not be dry. If you prefer a thicker pancake, feel free to experiment with the amount of liquid. I'd be interested to hear how that works.

This is what I consider to be my basic pancake recipe. It has a hint of apple flavor, but to me it's just a tasty basic pancake.

Pancakes
Makes about 20, 4" pancakes

Dry ingredients:
In a large bowl, combine and whisk together well:
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar (I tried using Inulin powder instead, and it worked well)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
(optional: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)

Wet ingredients:
In a separate bowl, combine and whisk: 
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup oil (I'm currently using a mild avocado oil as my neutral oil)
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
3/4 - 1 cup alternative milk -start with 3/4 cup, only adding the rest of it's too thick for you
       (I use Coconut Dream unsweetened original shelf-stable milk)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir or whisk until combined. Let sit while the griddle heats.
 Heat griddle to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

-I use an electric griddle. When I made these yesterday, I had heated the griddle to 375, but they were browning a little too quickly. I was concerned that the middles would not get cooked, so I lowered it to 350 and they did better.

-I have learned, with gluten-free things, to oil or spray the cooking surface for every batch. Sticking is a real issue. There is probably a more ideal option, but I just spray the griddle with standard cooking spray before every batch of pancakes, and it works well for me.

-I use a 2 tablespoon cookie dough scoop (similar to an old-school ice cream scoop) for putting batter on the griddle. That way, they're of a reasonably consistent size. Besides, scooping is fun. :)

Oil or spray the griddle before each batch.
Scoop or pour batter onto the griddle. Cook for a couple of minutes on the first side, until the bubbles around the edges are popping and staying open. Flip, and cook for a few minutes on the other side, until they're a nice golden brown. Enjoy! :)

~This will probably double well. Just don't quite double the salt.

I like these with just a little "butter"- a.k.a. Earth Balance soy-free spread. I do keep real maple syrup on hand for my family. Another favorite pancake topper is apple butter.