Buckwheat Pancakes with Delicious Savoury or Sweet Toppings

Buckwheat Pancake Ingredients

• 125g buckwheat flour

• 40g gram flour

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• pinch of salt

• 400ml hemp / almond OR coconut milk

• 65ml water

• 2 tsp cinnamon – optional if making sweet pancakes

• oil for cooking such as coconut oil

Method

1. Whisk together the flours, salt and milk and cinnamon, if using. Leave the mixture to stand for at least one hour, or overnight.

2. Heat a non-stick pan (20-25 cm diameter is ideal) over a medium heat. Melt a little oil in the pan.

3. Pour in enough batter and swirl round to form a thin layer.

4. Let cook for approx. 1 minute, until surface of pancake dries out. Then flip over and cook other side. The pancake should be lightly golden on both sides.

5. Transfer to a warm plate and repeat the process, until you have used all the batter.

Savoury Topping

Buckwheat Pancakes with Smoked Salmon, Lemon Cream Cheese, Chive, Capers and Seeds

Ingredients

• Pancakes – as above

• 200g cream cheese OR for a diary-free version use 100g silken tofu and 100g avocado mashed together

• 1 lemon, juice and zest

• ground black pepper

• 100g rocket (or watercress)

• 200g smoked salmon

• Bunch of chives, chopped

• 25g sunflower & black sesame seeds, toasted / also great with pumpkin seeds

• 1 tbsp capers, chopped

Method

1. Combine cream cheese (or silken tofu and avocado), lemon juice and zest and season generously with black pepper

2. Spread a layer of cream cheese (or tofu/avocado) over each pancake

3. Top with handful rocket leaves, slice of smoked salmon, chopped chives, toasted seeds and capers. Finish with freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4

Other savoury toppings for buckwheat pancakes include:

• Poached eggs with sautéed spinach, mushroom, tomatoes with chives and thyme

• Avocado and tahini dressing, with freshly chopped coriander

• Ratatouille and puy lentils

Sweet Toppings

Buckwheat Pancakes with Berry Compote,  Vanilla Yoghurt & Hazelnut Topping

Ingredients

• Pancakes – as above, adding the cinnamon

• 150g fresh or frozen berries

• Bio-live yoghurt (cow, goat or, for a dairy-free option, coconut)

• 1 tsp vanilla essence or seeds from 1 vanilla pod

• Hazelnuts, chopped

• Fresh mint leaves

Method

1. Puree the berries in a blender or processor, if using frozen (when berries are not in season) you will need to defrost beforehand. If you don’t like the pips then you can pass through a sieve to remove

2. Mix the vanilla essence or vanilla seeds into the yoghurt then spoon a generous dollop of yoghurt on each pancake.

3. Top with a spoonful of berry puree, sprinkle of hazelnuts and a couple of mint leaves to garnish

Other sweet toppings include:

• Banana, pumpkin seed and yoghurt

• Roasted spiced plums or apricots with orange zest and honey

• Fresh figs, pistachios and crème fraiche

Facts about Buckwheat 

Not related to wheat!

Buckwheat is actually a seed closely related to the rhubarb plant rather than a cereal grain. It is naturally gluten-free and is a rich source of the flavonoids, particularly rich in rutin. Flavonoids have potent antioxidant properties and rutin has been shown to help maintain cardiovascular health by promoting healthy blood flow, preventing excessive blood clotting as well as protecting cholesterol from oxidation.

Buckwheat also provides nutrients such as magnesium, calcium and zinc. Magnesium helps blood vessels relax thus improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure. Magnesium is also needed as a co-factor for many body enzymes.

Studies have also shown buckwheat to be favourable for blood glucose management in diabetics.

The addition of cinnamon to the sweet pancakes also helps blood sugar levels as cinnamon helps enhance the effect of insulin as well as having anti-inflammatory properties.