Flourless pancakes with a twist: The stale bread solution
I believe everyone loves pancakes. They're quick, simple, and can be made with almost anything. To make them, you only need a few ingredients and a pan. Recently, I've found myself moving away from classic flour in favour of a particular product that might surprise many, but it works excellently in this role.
Pancakes are a dish almost everyone knows and cherishes. They remind me of my childhood because they were my favourite meal that I always asked my mum to make. Want to make pancakes but have run out of flour at home? It turns out that's no problem at all. Just reach for something that usually ends up in the bin: stale bread. It's a brilliant ingredient that, when combined with milk and eggs, creates flexible and delicate pancakes. Plus, we're not wasting food and cooking with a focus on zero waste. Just remember that the bread should be stale but without any signs of mould or spoilage.
Stale bread instead of flour?
Although it may seem surprising, stale bread is essentially just processed flour. After all, bread is made from flour, water, and yeast or sourdough, the same ingredients found in typical pancake batter. When bread dries out, it loses moisture, but its structure, based on starch and gluten, remains.
Soaking the bread in milk makes it soft and pliable again. After blending and adding eggs, it creates a mixture with a consistency very similar to classic pancake batter. The bread acts as a ready-to-use, slightly toasted flour base – it binds well, holds its shape, and fries excellently. This way, you can completely do without flour without losing the structure or taste of pancakes.
Recipe for flourless pancakes
Pancakes are incredibly versatile. In a sweet version, they taste great with stewed apples, cottage cheese with honey, raspberry jam, or with cinnamon. In a savoury option, you can stuff them with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, feta cheese, chickpea paste, or vegetable ratatouille.
Ingredients:
- 100g of stale bread (bread or rolls),
- 14 fl oz (approximately 400 ml) of milk,
- 2 eggs,
- fat for frying (oil, clarified butter, or vegetable fat).
Preparation:
- Cut or crumble the stale bread into smaller pieces. Pour milk over it and let it sit for about 10 minutes to soften.
- Blend the soaked bread into a smooth mass. Add the eggs and blend again or mix thoroughly until it forms a batter with the consistency of classic pancake batter.
- Heat the pan with a bit of fat. Pour thin portions of batter and fry the pancakes on both sides until golden brown.
