Pikelets were actually one of the first things I learnt from scratch - and cooking them is one of my strongest early food memories.
Pikelets are kind of an Australian thing. They're little mini pancakes that can be eaten warm or at room temperature and are always a kid favourite.
My pikelet memories all happened at my neighbour, Audrey's, house. Growing up my Nanna lived four hours away, but Audrey was always my stand in Grandma. She was an older lady who lived next door and I remember squeezing through the gaps in the hedges between our houses and hopping the stepping stones to reach her arched front door.
Once I was inside the house, we'd make our way down the hallway and to her kitchen at the back of the house. There, in front of the window overlooking the garden, her electric frying pan would be heating up with butter sizzling away as it melted.
We'd crack the eggs and mix the flour and before I knew it, we were ready to cook.
She'd hand me a spoon and I'd drop lumpy spoonfuls of batter onto the hot frying pan, listening to the batter sizzle as it hit the butter inside.
We'd wait, carefully watching the pikelets as they were cooking and Audrey would flip them over to reveal the golden goodness underneath. One by one the pikelets would be stacked up on a plate, cooling whilst we cooked the rest of the batter.
It probably felt like a lifetime to four year old me, but soon enough they were ready to eat. Spread with butter and jam, Audrey and I sat down to our afternoon tea for two.
I can still hear her voice in my head - slightly husky but with raised notes at the end of each sentence. I can see her round glasses and her curly silver hair and I can still remember the pikelets on her florallychina plates.A food memory that's lasted 20 years and one that I hope I'll be able to recreate with my kids (or neighbours!) one day in the future.
These pikelets are a little bit differently to Audrey's. They're gluten free, egg free, dairy free and vegan - but they're still delicious - and still memory worthy.
So let me share the recipe with you! >>
The Best Vegan Pancakes Recipe
serves one, easily multiplied
gluten free, vegan, sugar free, clean eating recipe, egg free,
dairy free, nut free, low fat, kid friendly, freezer friendly
1/2 cup (60g) gluten free plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk of your choice (we used unsweetened almond milk)
1 tbsp (15g) applesauce
1 tsp maple syrup*
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat a non stickfrying pan over a medium heat whilst you prepare your batter.
- To make your pancake batter, mix all of your ingredients until combined. It will be quite thick and potentially a little lumpy but a few lumps are okay as long as all ingredients are incorporated.
- Once your pan is heated, lightly grease with butter or coconut oil and place heaped tablespoons of your pikelet mix in the pan.
- Carefully spread the batter out to form circular pikelets (or whatever shape you fancy) and cook for 1-2 minutes or until your pikelets are golden on the bottom.
- Flip and cook until golden on the other side, making sure your pikelets are cooked through. If your pikelets are browning too quickly, turn down the heat.
- Repeat until all of your pikelet batter is used up and enjoy warm or allow to cool before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
- These pikelets will keep for 2-3 days in a container in the refridgerator and can be served however you fancy. Try them with butter and maple syrup, whipped cream and jam, peanut butter, nutella, fresh fruit or whatever you feel like!
*If you want sweeter pikelets, use more maple syrup - or you can switch this for coconut sugar or white sugar and increase as desired.
But tell me, what are some of your earliest food memories?
Did you have an cooking role model as a child?
When I was little, I thought Audrey was wonderful for letting her cook with me - but I also had a bunch of other cooking role models. A family friend, Fay, made the best banana cake in the world (which I recreated here) and my Mum was the most incredible cake decorator (or so I thought - I had just about every Women's Weekly Cake imaginable) even though she wasn't a baker!
FAQs
If you overbeat the batter, you can release more glutenin and gliadin protein that will make the pancakes tough and rubbery. So, sift your flour and dry ingredients together before adding the wet ingredients, and mix your batter lightly.
Why aren t my pikelets fluffy? ›
Making pancake and waffle batter ahead of time is a huge no-no and will lead to flat, dense results every time. Even letting your batter hang out for just a few minutes after you've mixed it before you start ladling it onto the griddle will lead to less fluffy results.
What ingredient activated the gluten in the pancakes? ›
When the flour is moistened with water (or with milk and eggs, which are composed mainly of water), the gluten molecules become active.
What can you replace eggs with in pancakes? ›
Mashed fruit as an egg substitute works best in moist and dense recipes such as brownies, muffins, quick breads, pancakes, and waffles.
- Banana: 1/4 to 1/2 cup mashed or pureed.
- Unsweetened applesauce: 1/4 cup.
- Avocado: 1/4 cup.
- Pumpkin puree: 1/4 cup.
- Rehydrated and pureed prunes, raisins, soaked dates: 1/4 cup.
While pancakes and pikelets are pan-fried batter-based treats, they have some differences. Pikelets and pancakes differ in ingredients—pancakes use eggs and fat, while pikelets are simpler with self-raising flour and milk. Texture-wise, pancakes are fluffier, larger, and round, while pikelets are smaller and thinner.
Why are my gluten free pancakes chewy? ›
This gluten-free pancake recipe will turn out chewy if the egg whites have not whipped long enough or the batter was overmixed. Since the pancakes rely on the egg whites for their light and fluffy texture it is important to carefully fold the egg whites into the gluten-free pancake batter.
Is baking soda or baking powder better for pancakes? ›
Chef and writer Shani Fryer explains, "Recipes call for both when an acid-based chemical reaction is necessary to provide rise. Baking powder does most of the heavy lifting in the rise department and while baking soda aids in leavening, it also helps neutralize the acid." Take buttermilk pancakes, for instance.
Can you use water instead of milk in pikelets? ›
Lauren Habermehl. If you're out of milk, or need a dairy-free option for making pancakes, you can replace the milk with an equal amount of just about any other liquid. In a pinch, water is the easiest swap, but we find pancakes made with water lack flavor and richness.
What happens if you add an extra egg to pancake mix? ›
A word of caution though — if you add too many eggs you'll end up with a loose pancake batter that will need to be balanced with more pancake mix. If you're vegan or allergic to eggs, there are a few ingredients you can use to substitute an egg.
Is there a pancake mix that is gluten-free? ›
Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix, Organic, 22 Ounce Bag (Pack Of 6)
King Arthur Flour contains no bleach, no bromate, and no artificial preservatives of any kind. What you get—instead of those chemical bleaching agents—is flour from superior grains grown by farmers we trust.
Does Bisquick make gluten-free? ›
Bisquick™ Gluten Free Pancake & Baking Mix.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of eggs? ›
Yogurt. For this egg substitute, use 1/4 cup per egg. If you need to avoid dairy, you can use thick Greek-style plant-based yogurts. Most other non-dairy yogurts might be too thin to substitute for eggs in baking, so keep this in mind.
Can I use applesauce instead of eggs in pancakes? ›
I decided to try three substitutes — Just Egg, applesauce, and banana — for making pancakes. I was surprised by how fluffy the pancakes turned out, but the applesauce was by far my favorite.
Can I use mayo instead of eggs in pancakes? ›
🥞 #foodie #foodhacks #heinz #pancakeday #veganpancakes #eggless.
How do you make protein pancakes less rubbery? ›
Don't Use Too Much Protein Powder
A key mistake when making protein pancakes is using too much protein. If your batter is more than half protein powder, the resulting pancakes tend to be dry, rubbery, and fall apart. To prevent this, reduce the protein powder and increase the flour element of the batter.
What makes pancakes elastic? ›
When you make traditional pancakes, the batter includes gluten in the flour portion of the mix. Glutens are long protein molecules that have an elastic quality. Just like dough expands when you allow it to rest before baking, the gluten in the pancake batter stretches and expands.
How do you keep pancakes from getting gummy? ›
If you mix the batter too much, you knock all of the air bubbles out and your pancakes won't rise very well, resulting in a gummy texture. Mix it until it just comes together and no more. Another cause of gummy pancakes is leaving the batter to sit for too long before frying.
Why are my pancakes gummy inside? ›
Heat Control
If the heat is too high, the outside of the pancake will cook too quickly, while the inside remains undercooked and gooey. On the other hand, if the heat is too low, the pancakes will take longer to cook, becoming dense and doughy.
