Cinnamon Bit Fry-cakes

Really, these are pancakes, but "fry-cakes" is just such a fun word that I had to use it. ;)

Usually, I cook pancakes on our electric griddle, but yesterday I just didn't feel like clearing the space and hauling it out. I fried these up in a ceramic-lined non-stick skillet...and they were so good! <3
Funny that when I cook them on a griddle, they're "pan" cakes, but cooked in a pan, they have other names. Some people call them hotcakes or flapjacks. Because they had that delectable crunch from being fried in oil, "fry-cakes" just fit the best.

The cinnamon bits that I use are from the King Arthur Flour website. There are cinnamon chips available in some grocery stores, but I don't like them. To me, those just taste like Red-Hots candy; all heat and no real cinnamon flavor. They also usually contain trace amounts of dairy. The bits from King Arthur melt into pockets of delicious real cinnamon goodness when they bake, and they are now dairy-free! :)

Here's the link, in case you want to check them out:

 https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/cinnamon-sweet-bits

They also have these delicious things that they call "jammy bits," which are little gummy nuggets of fruit puree. When they're baked, they really do seem like little bits of real fruit jam. So good! :)

 https://search.kingarthurflour.com/search?p=Q&view=grid&deftab=products&w=jammy+bits

Okay, now to the recipe...

This is a work in progress, like all my recipes, but especially so since I just made them for the first time yesterday. They were so good, though, that I wanted to share them right away.

Cinnamon Bit Fry-Cakes
Makes about 12 - four inch cakes
Dry ingredients:
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 Tablespoon baking powder (I may try a little less, next time)
1 Tablespoon coconut sugar (other sugars would work fine; this is what I used and it was good)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup oil (I used a mild avocado oil; any mild neutral oil will do)
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
3/4 cup alternative milk (I use unsweetened original-flavor Coconut Dream coconut milk)

Add-in:
2 Tablespoons cinnamon bits from King Arthur Flour Company  

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Add them to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the cinnamon bits, then let the batter rest while you heat your skillet.

I used a ceramic-lined non-stick skillet. On our (glass-top) stove, I set the burner to medium at first, but turned it down about halfway through the batch.

Pour about two tablespoons of oil into your pan and heat on medium (or a little below medium) heat. To check if the pan is ready, drop a little bit of the batter into the oil. If the oil bubbles and sizzles around the edges, it's ready. Drop batter into heated pan carefully- about 1/4 cup batter per pancake. Flatten/spread slightly. Let them cook until the edges look set and the bottom is a nice golden brown. Flip and cook the other side, until it is also nicely browned and the cakes are cooked through. Add a little more oil to the pan for each batch. If the fry-cakes are getting too brown before the middle is cooked, lower the heat. If they take a super long time to brown, raise the heat.

With the "juiciness" from being fried in oil, I did not feel a need to butter these, but my husband liked them better buttered. Also, they were sweet enough that I did not want any syrup on them.

The cakes came out about 3 1/2-4 inches in diameter, and I ended up with about twelve cakes.

My mind is popping with other ideas, such as adding bits of walnut to these. Can't wait!

If you try them, please leave a comment and let me know how they turned out for you. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

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.