How to Make Teff Pancakes without Eggs

I stumbled across teff flour by accident. I received a packet by mistake.
I decided to keep it and experiment with Teff flour. I googled to learn more about this unusual flour as I had never heard of it.

I discovered that teff flour is naturally gluten-free, with a smooth texture and a slightly earthy yet sweet flavour. For my first recipe, I thought it would be perfect to make pancakes.

In my recipe for how to make teff pancakes without eggs; I decided to add another flour, like tapioca to help improve the texture and structure as teff flour is super fine. You could also add arrowroot flour or cornflour. I also increase the flavours adding cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup to balance the earthy taste. I also wanted the challenge of making my recipe without any eggs. I made a flax egg from 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. After resting for 10 minutes this mixture becomes gel-like to mimic an egg. I have used soy milk but feel free to swap this for your preferred milk.

Due to Teff flour's naturally high protein content, it is suitable for gluten-free bread baking: peanut butter cookies, and chocolate chip cookies. I am slowly experimenting with more recipes.

Makes: 8 medium

Ingredients

• Flax egg (or regular egg) – 1
• Teff flour – 150g (1 cup)
• Tapioca flour – 35g (1/4 cup)
• Ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
• Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – 1/8 tsp (optional)
• Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
• Maple syrup or similar – 1 tbsp
• Olive oil or another oil – 1 tbsp
• Soya milk (or your preferred milk)*– 250g (1 cup)

*add more milk for thinner pancakes

Method

1. Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water then rest until thick about 10-15 minutes.
2. Heat up your fry pan on medium heat.
3. Whisk all flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
4. Mix olive oil, vanilla extract and milk together. Then add this and flax egg to the flour mix and combine until smooth. Transfer to a jug to help pour.
5. Using a ladle or 1/4 cup scoop out the batter and cook the pancake for a few minutes, flip over once bubbles start appearing and cook on the other side. Repeat until all the batter has been used up or store it in the fridge for later.

Fun Facts About Teff

• Teff is naturally gluten-free
• Teff grains produce more food on less land.  Teff has a higher yield per hectare than other grains like wheat and maize
• Teff is quick growing. It needs only 36 hours to sprout. This is the shortest time of any grain
• Teff is high in protein. Around 14%
• Teff is easy to digest. Teff is a type of starch that is easier to tolerate than other grains.
• Teff is an old grain. Originating in Ethiopia around 4000-1000 BC
• Teff can thrive in unpredictable climates like Africa. It can grow in both waterlogged fields and droughts
• Teff is the smallest grain in the world
• Teff is high in calcium. It has the highest calcium content among the ancient grains. 1 cup cooked is 5 times more than whole wheat. Teff is very beneficial for the immune system as well as healthy bones and tissues
• It’s a good source of vitamin B6, amino acids, zinc and a great source of iron and magnesium. Teff is also a good source of dietary fibre.