Pancake Day may be a tradition over here in the UK but growing up in Italy you don't get many opportunities to eat pancakes and we definitely don't have a day to celebrate them. I remember seeing pancakes on the TV in movies and cartoons and thinking: WOW what is that?
I moved to London permanently in 2009 and when my mum came to visit for the first time I knew I had to take her to The Breakfast Club where we could both try pancaked for the first time. I remember the joy of discovering the fluffiness of the pancake dough mixed with the sweet taste; how had it taken me over 20 years to experience this. I was addicted!
That one sitting was all it took to get me hooked on pancakes and I was inspired to try and work out my own recipe. At first I found it hard to find a vegan recipe that didn’t come out too thin or too chewy but you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve perfected one that I can share with you this Pancake Day. It’s actually an old american recipe that originally included eggs, milk and butter but - after playing around with ingredient swaps and quantities - it creates heavenly fluffy vegan pancakes. It’s also naturally gluten free as it uses buckwheat flour and low in sugar too. Feel free to remove the sugar if you prefer - they’ll still be deliciously fluffy!
I love eating this after a workout slathering them in peanut butter and bananas for a protein hit but - seen as it’s Pancake Day - why not indulge in a stack of them with maple syrup, coconut and homemade raspberry compote. They’re also great as a sweet treat on the weekends. So are you ready to make them? Take a look at the recipe below and let me know how you get on making your own - i’d love to see your creations over on instagram so make sure you tag @leles_london and #LelesRecipes in any photos.
SERVES 2
PREP TIME - 5 minutes
COOKING TIME - 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of buckwheat flour
2 cups of dairy free milk - I use Alpro
2 tablespoons of sugar - any sugar will do but I use non refined sugar
4 tablespoons of baking powder
2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
A pinch of salt
A few drops of fresh lemon juice
METHOD
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl together
Next add the milk, oil and lemon and continue to mix everything together
Keep on mixing until you have a creamy texture - add a little more milk or water as necessary to achieve this
Use some vegan butter to oil a pan but make sure you remove any excess with a tissue so that the pan isn't too greasy
Put the pan on the heat and drop a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture in (depending on how big you want them) to start cooking
When the pancakes have risen flip them over to cook on the other side - it should take roughly 1 minute per side
When both sides are cooked take them off the heat and get ready to slather them in your favourite toppings
Serve your pancakes with anything you like - they’re great as a sweet or savory option.
And the most important thing? Add a little love to all your recipes - it's the most important ingredient.
If you're heading into our cafe this week we'll be serving up a Pancake Day special - join us from Tuesday to Saturday to try your very own stack of 5 pancakes with a choice of 3 toppings; banana, cocoa nibs, peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut cream, berries compote, caramel, almond flakes
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