A couple of the recipes on the blog are about my favorite types of breakfast. Even though I love a couple of places in Dublin to go for brunch (Two Pups is a great brunch place and if you haven’t tried it so far, definitely put it on your list), I love even more to prepare brunch at home and play with flavours.

I prepared these pancakes for so many of my friends and family. The recipe is easy to make and and it’s definitely a crowd pleaser. The pancakes are not too sweet either, so people who don’t like very sweet things (myself included) or who like to glaze their pancakes with maple syrup can be equally happy.

Neither myself or my partner suffer of gluten intolerance, but we do like the different taste flours can bring to a dish. Buckwheat flour is a staple in my pantry and I have been using it for both savoury dishes and desserts. Chickpea, rice and oat flours are my favorite kinds as they offer so many new ways to play with the ingredients you have at hand.

My favorite pancake toppings are:

• Nutella is a no-brainer when serving pancakes and I used to miss that specific taste every now and then. As Nutella has dairy and an incredible amount of processed sugar, I started looking for a plant-based alternative. That’s how I discovered Nocciolata, an organic cacao and hazelnut spread that is so similar to Nutella you can barely tell the difference. One day I wish to do my own hazelnut spread to use on desserts, but until then this little jar of organic goodness will find a way to my shopping basket.

• Berries are the second no-brainer. They are so full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that a lot of specialists argue that we should eat them everyday. Blueberries, rasberries and dried goji berries are my go-to ones.

• A zesty homemade jam. I still haven’t tried making my own jams (besides the easy lemon jam for lemon cake or a raspberry coulis), so my mom sends me every now and then a couple of jams from her one pantry. My favorite one is apricot jam as I feel it goes with everything, from sourdough toast to crepes and pancakes.

BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES - gluten free, plant-based & delicious

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and apple cider vinegar together.

2. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, plant milk, sparkling water and whisk everything together.

3. You can add more plant milk/sparkling water until you achieve a pancake batter consistency.

4. Use a bit of oil (coconut, safflower, sunflower) in a pan and put it on the stove. At the beginning I let the heat high to make sure the pan is getting hot enough for the batter to cook.

5. When the oil is hot, pour some batter in the pan. Once it’s starting to form bubbles on top, use a spatula to turn the pancake over. I like to use two pans at once so the pancakes are ready in half the time. This is super useful when you are making pancakes for a group of people.

Ingredients (yields 6-8 pancakes):

• 1 cup buckwheat flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 3 1/2 tbs maple syrup (or honey/dates if you are looking for a more natural sweeetner)

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup plant milk (I chose oat milk, but any kind of plant milk works)

• 1/4 cup sparkling water (optional, only if you want fluffier pancakes)

• 2-3 tbs veggie oil for cooking the pancakes.