Thick and FLUFFY pancakes have forever had my heart. I’ve said it time and time again. The blog now hosts a rapidly growing collection of healthy pancake recipes, and the latest comes with some serious gut benefits from a handy little addition: K-E-F-I-R (correctly pronounced kuh-fear, not kee-fur).  You get all the taste and coziness of brunch food with ALL real food ingredients: AKA no gimmicks or fillers from boxed pancakes. I love to have these for breakfast or dinner. I can eat pancakes for dinner because I am an adult. Am I right?

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and visit my 8 year-old self on a cozy Saturday morning. My mother is in the kitchen making the thickest, buttermilk pancakes with a homemade honey and cinnamon syrup. She would gently drop one on my plate, fresh off the griddle. I would immediately start poking holes with my fork and then slowly pour syrup over it: for “maximum absorption” I would say. 😛 She thought I was crazy but then again, I once caught her doing it, too.

Truth is; I miss those pancakes just as much as I miss slow Saturday’s with my family. Sadly, I can’t enjoy dairy now, but I love and often crave that tangy, distinct buttermilk taste. Insert KEFIR into the equation; essentially dairy with benefits. You can find it sans lactose, it’s loaded with probiotics and hey- you can even get vegan (coconut-based) kefir.

Simply said: kefir is a fermented milk drink that’s amazing for your digestive health. You can try to make it yourself; but I’ve never been able to make it with “decent” results. So, I buy it! It’s pretty much sold in almost every grocery store. There’s also kefir made from sheep or goat’s milk; both of which are also much easier to digest than the cow dairy counterpart. The only kefir I’ve tried that I didn’t like/enjoy was fermented rice kefir.

For this recipe I used plain, unsweetened, lactose-free kefir and I digested it without any issues. This comes from someone who is highly intolerant to cow dairy and gets an immediate “food baby” and swollen stomach shortly after ingesting it. And friends, I had zero problems. Everyone is different of course, but I was so pleased at how kefir could substitute for buttermilk in this classic recipe. I also tested the recipe against coconut-based kefir, for vegan options with great results.

So go ahead… and give these a try, weekend pancakes will never (ever) be the same! 😉

Also, if you enjoy these pancakes: you may also want to try my Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Pancakes ! They’re unapologetically fluffy and so easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1 cup + 1 tbsp of gluten-free oat flour (pulverized in your blender)
• 1 tsp of gluten-free baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp of plain, unsweetened kefir of your choice (there’s even vegan, coconut-based kefir available)
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp of melted coconut oil (1 for the batter & 1 for frying)
• 1.5 tbsp of coconut sugar (or sugar of your choice)
• 1 large egg ( I love pasture-raised or free-run)
• 1/4 tsp of sea salt
• 1 cup of blueberries. I prefer to use fresh over frozen. Taste-wise, they’re sweeter & less acidic and just cook better.

*1 flaxseed egg: stir 1 tbsp of flaxseed meal to 3 tbsp of warm water. Allow to sit for at least 10 mins before using.

Substitutions:

• If not gluten-free, you could use regular, all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
• If not refined-sugar free you could use granulated sugar or brown sugar.
• If not dairy-free you could swap out coconut oil for grass-fed butter or ghee
• Instead of blueberries, you could use the same measurement for chocolate chips, raspberries, chopped strawberries, or 1 grated pear or apple (peeled & cored).

Instructions

1. Combine the dry ingredients: oat flour, baking powder, baking soda cinnamon, coconut sugar & sea salt. Whisk well in a large bowl.
2. Combine the wet ingredients: kefir, coconut oil, egg, vanilla. Whisk well with a fork.
3. Begin preheating a non-stick skillet or pan, start of at medium-high heat.If you use a griddle, the griddle should be at 350F.
4. Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl, whisking as you go to avoid clusters or lumps.
5. Have a feel for the batter, it should not be overly runny, as these are intended to be fluffy and a bit on the denser side. If too runny, slightly add more flour, start with 1 tbsp. If too dense, add 1 tbsp of kefir & some more melted coconut oil. If you follow the measurements I provided, you should be OK.
6. Fold in the blueberries (don’t overmix or they won’t fluff up).
7. I add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to the pan & allow it to melt. Then I use a kitchen paper towel to soak in the excess. When the pan is running dry after 2-3 pancakes, I use the same paper towel soaked in coconut oil to moisten it. Works like a charm!
8. I like to add about a little over 1 tbsp of batter to the pan and spread it out slightly forming a circle. Don’t spread these out too thin.
9. Enjoy warm with pure maple syrup or/and almond butter!

PSA: you don’t need a measuring cup, as long as you use the SAME cup to measure everything. 🙂

By: Aleyda/The Dish On Healthy