When a gluten free diet was suggested by my well loved professional holistic caregiver, there might have been a slight whimper on my part.
Gluten, there’s no denying it. It’s delicious.
Not the actual glutenous fibres themselves but the food in which that gluten is often encased. Anyone who has been a long time reader of this blog might have subtly noticed I bake a fair chunk of the time. Mostly, because I like to keep costs down, like to feed my ravenous family with great food, and I also want to know what’s going in all those breakfasts, lunches, dinner’s, morning teas, afternoon teas, and snacks.
All sounds very wholesome and love fuelled right? Well it’s also fairly gluten based when it comes to my baking, (even if a fair chunk of it is wholemeal spelt flour based.)
So, a gluten free diet for me eh?
Well that would wipe out the two thick slices of delicious homemade sourdough in the morning then wouldn’t it?
It would probably leave out the healthy backyard vegetable salad with a tasty little pangritata on top.
It would also probably wipe out the custard tart eaten with my equally gluten loving friend with a side order of books, photography and belly laughing chitchat.
Dinner would look a little less like orechiette alle broccoli and more like…well broccoli.
But that was fine. It was just a trial to see where things were at, to see what was what and well, why was why? Something like that anyway. In a nutshell, gluten was off the menu for the next three ish weeks.
Now I knew with any changes in dietary requirements the key to success was preparation.
P.R.E.P.A.R.A.T.I.O.N.
After a gluten fuelled “see you in a bit” honorary party the night before I started, the first day arrives and I happily head to the kitchen ready to embark on all things un-glutenous. It’s Sunday which means pancakes round these parts, and the kids laid the table out in readiness. But me, what about me? What was a poor gluten-free woman to do when it’s Pancake Sunday? Wholemeal Spelt pancakes weren’t going to cut it, and it seems my very first meal was a fail first up.
I hadn’t prepared a damn thing…and I was hungry. Step two in successful dietary changes is don’t let yourself get too hungry (especially on the first day!) as it will be easy to slip into the habits of old.
I admitted defeat. Enjoyed 5 gluten filled pancakes and declared I would start at lunch.
Now what I should have done and certainly did in subsequent meals was swap the spelt flour for buckwheat.
Buckwheat Pancakes, I’ve made these countless times over the last few weeks with varying degrees of success. Some with rice flour in there as well, some with egg whites, some with ricotta, but the best and most dependable seem to be a simple ratio of egg, flour and milk. It’s nothing crazy but for my own reference I’m putting these up, best (yet) Buckwheat Pancakes.
(Also for all future references, buckwheat pancakes and lemon curd is an entirely acceptable trade off for gluten.)
Buckwheat Pancakes
25g melted butter
1 beaten egg
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 cup milk
Whisk all ingredients together and cook in pan. Stack ’em high and eat with enthusiasm.
growing buckwheat
cityhippyfarmgirl 
Love buckwheat pancakes!!! With anything would be fine, but home made lemon curd sounds pretty divine. Good luck with the GF journey. I changed my ways more than 10yrs ago. There’s a few things I miss, (treats) but generally day to day i dont miss it at all.
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Lemon curd could make cardboard appealing Tamara 🙂 Not that buckwheat pancakes are cardboard of course. It’s interesting the food focus change for me, and seeing it through different eyes. It seems there is a lot of gluten free products out there that just substitute with sugar, not my intention though…like I said, it’s been interesting.
If you have any tried and true glutenicious delights to recommend please do.
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These look very good Brydie! We are very much a gluten family….bread, pasta and everything floury in between. I sometimes wonder if we should consider backing it off a bit, I know I would really miss it. Happy Sunday you x
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Yeah it’s tricky Jane. I’m going to try and back the whole family off a little from it and see how we go. Deep habits though, deep habits…
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Gluten free + your baking goddess self does sound very mismatched. Glad to hear the buckwheat hit the spot. I’m interested to hear how you go perfecting a loaf of gluten free sourdough!
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They are Alison, they really are. Gluten free sourdough, I’m not sure if I will go down that route….Going off it has really highlighted just how wheat based our diet is in this country. Interesting anyway!
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I’ve done Buckwheat at different times over the years like when the kids had eczema but we always end up going back to gluten. Now I’ve gone GF (never touch the GF products) except for mornings when I’m too tired to whip up some bloody vegetarian cafe style smorgasboard. I’m trying to add more variety for the kids so patties or crumbing are made with lentil, quiona flour or chickpea flours. Buckwheat pancakes are back in trend and the next thing I want to do is change our homemade wheat tortillas to corn or rice based ones. That way we can save the gluten for good sourdough. I think variety is the key if you don’t have a full blown allergy to it or women issues. Unfortunately if you have any women issues, gluten and sugar is out!
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Yep doing this has certainly highlighted to me how many crap gluten free ‘products’ are out there that I had no idea existed. Saving the gluten for sourdough is also something I think I’ll be doing. Looking at a gluten free bread ingredient list has so far not been inspiring!
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Looks yummy! I know buckwheat pancakes well as Nicolas often made them in the past. They have them a lot in France in Brittany with cider. That’s close to where he is from. I think he once told me there were many people intolerant to gluten in that area. Or something like that. Anyway, I’d like to try your recipe but with Nicolas being mainly whole food plant based now, he will want to substitute the egg, butter and milk!!! Not to worry though, we’ll have recipes in cookbooks…. But the girls and I may just make them while he’s gone lol!!! xxx from California!
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Irene there is the sweetest little pop up restaurant here, that’s only open a few nights a week and specialises in french crepes…buckwheat! Ahh so good, Im presuming pretty authentic as it all tastes divine. Youll have to come back to try it 🙂
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I sure have to! When back in Australia I would love to come over and check it out with you!!!
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They look lovely!
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The day after you posted this Jane at FrugalQueen posted a recipe for Buckwheat crepes and I got the impression there was a lot of hard work involved mixing the batter. I’m keen to try both and guess what I had at a nice little cafe in Maleny today- Buckwheat crepes with mushrooms – so yummy and filling. I feel my latest obsession coming on 🙂
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I’ll be trying it out, many thanks
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