Bowl of cooked quinoa.
Quinoa pancakes can be a healthy and delicious substitute for standard breakfast pancakes made with all-purpose flour. To make these protein-rich pancakes as delicious, fluffy, and flavorful as possible, be sure to thoroughly cook the quinoa first and treat it as a dry ingredient when you mix the batter together. Healthy pancakes are often significantly denser than their lighter, fluffier counterparts. To get the same texture with quinoa pancakes, use a small amount of acid in the batter to fully activate the yeast. For healthy and tasty pancakes without using large amounts of butter and syrup, try adding dry spices to pancakes before cooking.
Cooked quinoa should be treated as a dry ingredient when making quinoa pancakes.
It is very important to cook the quinoa before mixing it with the other ingredients, since not doing so would be the equivalent of adding uncooked rice to the pancake batter. You can simply cook the quinoa according to package directions, although a ratio of two parts liquid to one part quinoa is generally best. Since you will be using it on pancakes, water is often the preferred liquid and it is important to rinse the beans before cooking as the natural topping can have an undesirable texture.
Even for an experienced baker, determining whether or not to treat quinoa as a dry or wet ingredient can be a bit confusing, as it has a slightly moist consistency once cooked. One of the best tips for making quinoa pancakes is to treat this ingredient as you would any type of flour. It should always be mixed with the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients. Adding it to the wet ingredients alone before mixing it with the other dry ingredients can result in crumbly quinoa pancakes.
Often whenever an all-purpose flour is replaced with a whole grain, like quinoa, the resulting product has a dense texture, which is often not what you want in pancakes. This is because whole grains are naturally denser than their refined counterparts, and as such, the baking powder used in the dough is heavy. A good way to alleviate some of this problem when making quinoa pancakes is to include a small amount of acid, about 1 tablespoon (about 15 milliliters), to fully activate the baking soda, which is the ingredient responsible for most of the this softness. of the Pancake Lemon juice and white vinegar are the two most popular choices and generally have little effect on the flavor of quinoa pancakes.
Quinoa pancakes are generally extremely healthy right out of the pan; however, what is used to cover this dish can make a meal nutritionally inadequate and unhealthy. To keep a good amount of flavor without having to use a lot of butter or syrup, try adding savory seasonings to your pancake batter. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves are great complementary ingredients, while a small amount of brown sugar can add sweetness to the dish without too much fat or extra calories.