Eczema friendly-cooking: Dairy-free, egg-free pancakes

Don’t let allergies get in the way of enjoying Pancake Day with our two tried and tested dairy-free egg-free pancake recipes. Whether you prefer thin, English style pancakes or fluffy, American style ones, we’ve got it covered. And you should be able to get all the ingredients from the supermarket (if they aren’t already in your cupboard). If you need a wheat-free recipe, just replace the plain flour with fine ground buckwheat flour. 

Or, if you’re less adventurous in the kitchen, you could use a ready-made pancake mix.

Dairy-free, egg free English-style pancakes

I’ve been making this recipe since my student days – I have a milk intolerance and my then house-mate is allergic eggs, but that wasn’t going to stop us enjoying Pancake Day. Grown-ups can add a dash of Newcastle Brown ale instead of the vanilla or orange zest.

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• 30g ground arrowroot
• 1tbsp caster sugar
• 250ml soya milk
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• Vanilla essence or orange zest to taste
• Coconut oil or light vegetable oil for frying

1. Mix the dry ingredients, make a well in the centre and gradually add the soya milk stirring all the time with a fork or whisk and slowly bringing in the flour mixture from the sides. This should give you a fairly runny batter.
2. Beat in the oil then leave to stand for 5-10 minutes while the frying pan heats up.
3. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter should sizzle and set as soon as it hits the oil), ladle just enough batter into the pan to cover the surface – these pancakes are best made thin. As soon as the batter starts to set gently release the edges with a silicon spatula. Flip when the batter in the centre of the pan has set and the bottom has turned golden brown.

The lack of egg makes these pancakes quite easy to tear, so it helps to use a small frying pan. Also, the lack of fat, usually provided by the milk, can make these pancakes stick to the pan. If your pancakes are sticking, add a little more sunflower oil to the batter. The soya milk adds some of the flexibility so if you’re using a different type of milk, you may need to increase the amount of arrowroot.

Free-from pancakes – American-style

For those of you who prefer a fluffy American-style pancake – this reliable recipe works well with most milk substitutes.

Ingredients

• 125g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder (2 tsp if you are using buckwheat flour)
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp oil (coconut, corn or light vegetable oil)
• 250ml milk or milk substitute – almond milk works well, soya milk makes for a heavier pancake
• Coconut oil or light vegetable oil for frying

1. Mix the dry ingredients, make a well in the centre and gradually add the milk and oil stirring all the time with a fork or whisk and slowly bringing in the flour mixture from the sides. This will make a really runny batter.
2. Heat a small frying pan until a drop of batter sizzles as soon as it hits the oil, then ladle the batter into the pan one scoop at a time. Give the mixture a quick stir before each scoop as the mixture will tend to settle.
3. As the edges set, release them with a silicon spatula. Flip the pancake when the batter is setting in the centre and the bottom is a golden brown.

The pancakes will be light and fluffy. Perfect with maple syrup and blueberries.

A tip for perfect frying

To get a crisp pancake which isn’t oily don’t stint with the oil when you heat the pan, just pour the excess oil into a heat-proof bowl just before you add the batter. For the next pancake, pour the excess oil back into the pan, swirl it around to cover the entire surface and reheat it for a few seconds before pouring off the excess as before. Keep a piece of kitchen towel handy to mop up any dribbles down the outside of the pan so that it doesn’t burn.

Here at ScratchSleeves, we don’t just share our experiences of bringing up an eczema child and favourite allergy-friendly recipes, we also manufacture and sell our unique stay-on scratch mitts and PJs for itchy babies, toddlers and children. We now stock sizes from 0-adult years in a range of colours. Visit our webshop for more information.