I have incredibly fond memories of making Pannenkoeken with my nanny girl. For around 6 years we made Pannenkoeken on a regular basis. It was a delicious breakfast and equally a treat. But can you enjoy Pannenkoeken with the Trim Healthy Mama plan? Yes! These Einkorn Puff Pancakes are a crossover, but certainly a delicious treat! They are buttery, fluffy, easy to whip up, and taste like a trip down memory lane. You won't regret trying them.

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If you have not heard of pannenkoeken it is a Dutch Pancake that originated in China and Nepal or at least, that is what Google tells me! There are a couple of fun stories to read about the originating of the dish, but all stories point to Pannenkoekan being a one-dish, large pancake based on flour, milk, salt, and eggs. Traditionally it is served with sugar and cinnamon on top, but also can be topped with syrup or filled with berries or other sweet concoctions.
For our purposes, since our recipe is a little bit different from the traditional pannenkoeken, we are going to title them puff pancakes!
Using Einkorn Flour
Einkorn is an ancient grain that can be used with the Trim Healthy Mama plan. This ancient grain made its first appearance in a THM cookbook through Trim Healthy Future. The recipe is called Overnight Biscuits and is also a crossover. To quote the author on the use of einkorn in the THM plan,
I did use regular baking einkorn flour for the biscuits in this picture...you can use whole grain einkorn, which would be even more optimum, but soaking does help the regular einkorn be friendlier to blood sugar. I consider it a pretty much on-plan, but not a precisely perfect option that I like to choose. The end result is great either way though.
Rashida Simpson, Trim Healthy Future, Pg 94
I personally use einkorn from jovial, but I have been considering buying it in bulk since it is such a versatile and delicious ancient grain.
Ingredients
These puff pancakes use very simple ingredients that you may already have! Make sure that you combine all the ingredients together thoroughly.
Eggs
Plain Kefir
Gentle Sweet
Salt - I am more and more convinced that Redmond Real Salt is the best salt out there!
Butter
Vanilla - here is my simple recipe for vanilla
Einkorn
Instructions
These take a little bit of preplanning but are well worth the extra step. Take one cup of kefir and mix it in with your einkorn. Let it sour overnight or for at least 6 hours to be on plan with Trim Healthy.
Preheat your oven to 425 and place your cast iron skillet inside to pre-heat.
The steps to making these einkorn puff pancakes are very simple. Start with cracking your eggs and then add your, Gentle sweet, salt, ½ of the butter, vanilla, and einkorn mixture. Combine thoroughly!
Soak the einkorn in 1 cup of unsweetened kefir overnight or for at least 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place 12" cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat with the stick of butter.
Blend together the eggs, stevia, salt, butter, vanilla, and einkorn/kefir flour blend. Make sure it is completely combined.
Pull the cast iron skillets out of the oven and pour the puff pancake mixture into the skillet.
Blend together the eggs, stevia, salt, butter, vanilla, and einkorn/kefir flour blend. Make sure it is completely combined.
Equipment
- Cast iron pan
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Danish wisk (super helpful but optional)
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Pairings
These taste excellent with just some berries on top, but the options are endless for other toppings. Growing children can enjoy a heavy crossover with whipped cream and honey on top.
My personal way to eat them is with a little Gentle sweet and cinnamon. It is truly wonderful!
FAQ
Can I use regular flour in place of the einkorn?
Yes, you will replace the einkorn with 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Keep in mind if you do this, this is no longer a THM-friendly recipe.
How do I keep my batter from sticking to my cast iron?
Cast iron will not stick as long as you are sure to heat it up fully before you put your butter and batter inside.
My fluff pancake is not fluffying. What am I doing wrong?
This was a problem that I faced when I first started experimenting with this recipe. You will want to make sure that you blend your ingredients completely together. I recommend using an immersion blender or a regular blender. Another key step is to make sure you coat the bottom part of your cast iron pan with butter before you put the batter in.
Where can I buy einkorn flour?
If you are only planning to use einkorn for a few recipes, I recommend buying it from Amazon. You can get just a couple of packets for a reasonable price. If you end up enjoying cooking with the flour, then I recommend buying it in bulk because it ends up being cheaper.
Related
Einkorn Puff Pancake
These Einkorn Puff Pancakes are a crossover, but certainly a delicious treat! They are buttery, fluffy, easy to whip up, and taste like a trip down memory lane. You won't regret trying them.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened kefir
- ¼ cup Gentle Sweet
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups einkorn
Instructions
- Soak the einkorn in the 1 cup of unsweetened kefir overnight or for at least 6 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place 12" cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat with the stick of butter.
- Blend together the eggs, stevia, salt, butter, vanilla, and einkorn/kefir flour blend. Make sure it is completely combined.
- Pull the cast iron skillets out of the oven and pour the puff pancake mixture into the skillet.
- Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until puffy and starting to turn golden around the edges.
- Slice and serve. Berries serve excellently with this.
Notes
Make sure you add your butter to your pan before you add the batter, this is what causes the fluff!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 170Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 171mgSodium: 269mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g
Online nutritional calculators are only estimates. Use your best judgement when consuming.
Shea Wilson says
Hey Rachel.
For Trim Healthy Mama, doesn’t einkorn need to be soaked, soured or sprouted to be used on plan? If this isn’t any of them, how is this a THM-XO since it isn’t recommended to eat einkorn, or any whole grain flour for that matter, without it being either of the three above? Not trying to criticize, just legitimately curious.
Thanks!
RachaelBelle says
I'm embarrassed to admit that you are 100% right. I always sour or sprout my einkorn, so I'm not sure what 'broke' in my head. Can I call it the baby brain? Pregnancy takes away all my common sense sometimes. I made the recipe multiple times without thinking about it even once. I then had to go ask fellow coaches just to make sure I had truly gone crazy. I sure did. I have never done that before in a recipe, so I apologize.
Thankfully, it was a quick fix 🙂 The almond milk has been replaced by kefir and the only additional step is to let it soak overnight just like with the biscuit recipe in the Trim Healthy Future cookbook.
AND it tastes even better. Thank you for your grace. I truly must have gone crazy.