Fluffy Sprouted Buckwheat Pancakes

My family has been eating a lot of ‘breakfasts for dinner’ so I have been getting as creative as I can with my breakfast repertoire. I had tried (fruitlessly) to get my toddlers interested in buckwheat before since it’s not just highly nutritious but also very sentimental to me, being one of the pantry staples of my Russian childhood, and I really love the taste. Of course, their reaction to buckwheat changed once it was incorporated into delicious fluffy pancakes, drenched in yellow Amish butter and maple syrup, and served with fresh strawberries and bacon.

The only thing in common with wheat that this plant has is the name. It is completely gluten free, and is not even a grain, but a seed from the same family as rhubarb and sorrel. Besides significant fiber content, it is high in manganese, magnesium, copper, and zinc, which are great for the immune system. It contains all eight essential amino acids, including lysine, which plays a key role in collagen production, and is not produced by the human body.

Using sprouted buckwheat accomplishes two things – reduces anti-nutrients for better absorption and also intensifies the flavor. Sprouted buckwheat has a nutty and sweet taste as opposed to bland regular flour. If you aren’t able to sprout buckwheat, toast the flour slightly for a better flavor. Even unsprouted buckwheat is very high in phytase, an enzyme that acts on phytic acid to mitigate its negative effects on nutrient absorption.

Since buckwheat is gluten free, it can be tricky to bake with to give it a desired texture. I use whipped egg whites and kefir to take care of that and my pancakes have a lovely fluffy consistency that makes it hard to believe they don’t have gluten.

HOW TO MAKE FLUFFY SPROUTED BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES

Ingredients
4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup kefir (how to make kefir)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of sprouted buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Ghee for cooking (how to make ghee)

Instructions
Beat the egg yolks by hand until smooth; add kefir and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, mix together sprouted buckwheat flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Put the flour mixture into the kefir mixture. Mix to combine.
Whip egg whites until very stiff (I use KitchenAid mixer).
Fold egg whites into the batter very gently using a soft spatula. Just fold to combine, don’t over mix. The batter will be very airy and light.
Preheat pan, oil it with ghee and scoop the batter in desired amounts onto the pan. For small pancakes, use 1 tablespoon, for bigger ones – 1/4 cup. Cook until each side is nicely browned. Drizzle with melted butter.

Print Recipe

Fluffy Sprouted Buckwheat Pancakes

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs yolks and white separated
• 1 cup kefir
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sprouted buckwheat flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ghee for cooking

Instructions

• Beat the egg yolks by hand until smooth; add kefir and vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, mix together sprouted buckwheat flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
• Put the flour mixture into the kefir mixture. Mix to combine.
• Whip egg whites until very stiff (I use KitchenAid mixer).
• Fold egg whites into the batter very gently using a soft spatula. Just fold to combine, don't over mix. The batter will be very airy and light.
• Preheat pan, oil it with ghee and scoop the batter in desired amounts onto the pan. For small pancakes, use 1 tablespoon, for bigger ones – 1/4 cup.
• Cook until each side is nicely browned. Drizzle with melted butter.