I appreciate this could well be the first time you have read/heard this word let alone know what it is and have a handful of go to recipes… I only came across this fabulous grain in April this year. So what is teff? Teff is native to Ethiopia where it is a staple, it is adaptable you can make breads, biscuits and as we have here, pancakes. It is an amazing gluten free source of so many nutrients:
- Protein (building blocks for all body tissues and functions)
- Thiamin B1 (turns food into energy for a healthy nervous system)
- Vitamin B6 (turns food into energy for a healthy nervous system and brain)
- Iron (essential for red blood cells)
- Magnesium (needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions – phew – in the body!)
- Zinc (essential for the immune system)
- Manganese (among other things important for cartilage/bones/ligaments and reducing inflammation)
- It’s also low in sodium, making it ideal for those eating a heart-healthy diet.
Where Do You Buy Teff?
After a quick Google search I found:
and where I brought from Shipton Mill (I brought several of their gluten-free range relevant posts to follow…)
So as soon as the Teff arrived, I set to work trying various recipes, over time I will add more. As varied gluten-free breakfasts are important I thought I’d start with this one from Maskal™ Teff co
Teff Pancake Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp flax seeds
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1½ cups vanilla soy milk – we used almond milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1½ tsp oil, divided
- 1½ cups Teff flour – we used brown as it has a lovely caramel nutty flavour.
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon – we love it so I tripled the amount 🙂 it’s good for balancing blood sugars too.
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- Grind flax seeds in a blender until powdery (be careful to wait until you lift the lid or it all escapes like a smoke effect – learning from experience….). Add banana, the version of milk you choose, vanilla, honey, and ½ teaspoon oil. Blend well.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together teff flour, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon. Stir in banana ‘milk’ mixture.
- Place a griddle/frying pan over medium heat. After a minute or 2, brush on one teaspoon of oil. Using a tablespoon (I used a ladle) scoop up the batter and pour it on the hot griddle, one heaping tablespoon for each pancake. It is quite thick so you can spread it out as it is in the frying pan.
- Cook pancakes for 3-4 minutes on the first side, or until you see tiny holes on the top of the pancakes. Flip them over and cook for another minute or two. **I found these can stick to the pan a little if you just leave them cooking until they lift away it is a sure sign they are ready to flip over**
- Serve plain or topped with yoghurt, more bananas if you desire or whatever you love on top of a pancake. Delish…
In the original recipe they make very small pancakes I made larger ones which meant we could eat all the sooner…
I know I’m not going to win any awards for food photography what I can say is that they are delicious and well worth venturing towards this grain. Bon Apetit.
