Cinnamon Apple Pancakes
I love pancakes! Gluten-free pancakes are easy to make with some substitutions; vegan and oil-free pancakes are easy too and taste just as good. I have found nothing left to be desired in either gluten-free, vegan, or oil-free pancakes. Apples are the perfect topping; they're warm and tender, and with the addition of cinnamon and some sweetener, it's a great morning breakfast that you can get as creative as you like with.
Flour
I start with gluten-free flour; you can use whatever gluten-free flour you like or even make your own custom blend of flours. Because cross-contamination is important to me these days, I make my own flour. If you're looking for ingredients to make your own flour, you'll find them at Azure Standard.
Keep in mind, though, that not all gluten-free flours are alike and results may vary. There will be some trial and error between brands because of the different ratios of different ingredients like tapioca starch and sweet brown rice, which can change the way the flour absorbs liquid and bakes up. There are different varieties of flours that you can find here to try, including gluten-free flour blends.
Get your mise en place together, which means getting all your ingredients together and everything you need to make the pancakes. It's much easier to have everything ready before you start. Once you have everything together, you can start measuring things out. Since I am cooking at home and not in a restaurant, I tend to just measure and then add everything to one bowl, but when I was in culinary school, I would measure everything and have them in separate bowls before mixing everything together. For pancakes, especially when you want easy clean-up later, you can just dump everything into one bowl, starting with the dry ingredients first. You'll also want to peel and slice your apples.
Add them to a small sauce pan with the water and cook until tender. The apples you choose to use will determine the cooking time. I like granny smith apples, but gala or honey crisp apples are good too. Once the apples are tender, put them in a bowl and set them aside. Then add the arrowroot to a small amount of cold water to dissolve, and then add it to the remaining hot water from the apples. It should thicken immediately; if it doesn't, then heat it just until it thickens up. Add the sugar and cinnamon, and stir. Add the apples back to the pan and stir.
Next, while the apples are cooking, add the eggs, oil, and about 1/4 cup of water at a time to the dry ingredients for the pancakes to prevent lumps. Stir until you have your desired consistency. You can add more or less water, depending on your preference. This will affect the yield of the pancakes you will get, but fluffy, thick pancakes are just as yummy as thinner pancakes. Once everything is combined, get out your preferred skillet and spatula. I like stainless steel because of its longevity and because it's healthier than nonstick pans. Eventually, the coating will come off of the nonstick pans, and it's no good for that to come off into your food. For the stainless steel pans I've bought, click here. Cook the pancakes on medium heat, using just enough oil to coat the pan if you're using stainless steel. Cook about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. To keep pancakes warm, heat the oven to warm, then line a baking sheet with parchment and place any pancakes in the oven to keep warm while the rest cook. My oven has a warm setting, but if yours doesn't, 250–300 degrees for a few minutes should keep them warm.
Top the pancakes with the apples. You can even add some extra cinnamon syrup, which is quick and easy if you like some extra cinnamon goodness.
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Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp oil
1 1/2 cups water ( more or less depending on your preference)
Apples Topping
1 granny smith apple cored and sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
a squeeze of lemon juice
2 tsp arrowroot starch
1/2 cup water
Directions
For the pancakes, Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir. Add the egg, oil, and a little water at a time (to prevent lumps) and stir, continuing to add more water until it’s smooth and the consistency is what you want. Add a little oil to a pan or use nonstick spray, and cook the pancakes on medium heat until done.
For the apple topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss the apples.
Hands-off approach: pour into a ramekin and place in the oven at 350°F until apples are tender.
Place apples in a small skillet and cook on medium heat until all the apples are tender and the filling has thickened.
Place apples on top of pancakes.
