Gluten-free Baking (and Pancake recipe!)

I admit I’m a little cynical about gluten-free baking. Since a lot of the reason I continue the gluten-free diet is to be free of so many blood sugar ups and downs, it seems ill-advised to simply replace a wheat product with one that makes me just as jittery. Tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch…all these starches are bad news, at least for a person like me who does better on a more caveman-like diet.

But then I got sucked into contributing to the school bake sale, and didn’t really want to bake something I’m not going to eat. I’ve offered to contribute some gluten-free goodies, so the next thing I know, I’m buying things like rice flour and xanthan gum. I will be a gluten-free baker, even if I have to be dragged into it via such methods.

On that note, I will share with you my gluten-free pancake recipe:

Gluten-free pancakes

We love the texture and taste of this. It makes the best pancake ever! This is a very forgiving recipe. You can vary it quite a bit and still get a decent pancake. The main things to leave constant though: a 2 to 1 ratio on the rice flour and corn meal, the baking powder (you can use a little less though, than the recipe calls for), and using the egg in the final mix.

Dry Mix (2 servings):
2/3 cup rice flour
1/3 cup corn flour or corn meal
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cinnamon

When ready to make pancakes, take 1 cup of the dry mix and add:

1 Tbsp. canola oil (or your favorite oil)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 egg
Enough milk or water to make a batter

Cook in a nonstick frying pan with a little oil. Flip over when bubbles form and cook the other side.

If you like this recipe and want to make it often:
I make a large quantity and store it in a big glass mason jar. Then when I want to make pancakes, I just take a cup full of the dry mix and add the wet ingredients to make pancakes.

Dry Mix (large quantity):
1000g rice flour (4 1/3 cups)
500g corn flour or corn meal (2 1/8 cups)
5 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon