Week 14: Vegan Rum and Rye Pancakes
My daughter Kara can’t stand “breakfast for dinner”. I think it’s because as a child she was sensitive enough to pick-up that “breakfast for dinner” meant we were broke. We may not have mentioned our lack of funds, but she probably felt my tension rise or heard her dad and I discuss (argue) about money. Regardless of the reason, she was right! A meal of homemade pancakes and cheap sausage was how I could feed a family of six when money was super tight….which unfortunately at the time, was often.
On the other hand, I used to LOVE “breakfast for dinner” and still do. I suppose my mom made pancakes for the same reason I did, but my sensitivity to our financial woes was obfuscated by the promise of maple and butter topped pancake deliciousness and cooking them with my mom. I’d try my hand at pancake art while she taught me to wait to flip until the batter was lightly bubbled all over.Once I was old enough, I’d whip up a batch whenever I wanted…breakfast, snack, dinner, for slumber parties with friends. I still enjoy making fun pancakes for the kids in my life…and always wait for the bubbles…with the right pan, my pancakes are perfect…thanks Mom!
For the record, these rum and rye pancakes are different than the fluffy pancakes of my youth and to my knowledge, Mom never made pancakes with a cup of rum for me 🙂
Original Recipe
Rye Pancakes
Mom’s history lesson on this recipe really intrigues me…who was she writing for? Was it just thoughts on paper, or was she intending her daughters to read these recipes at some time?
Rum and Rye may not be the breakfast of champions, but apparently is was the breakfast of New England Colonists and possibly pirates. Actually, it is likely that this was not solely a breakfast food. They are a very dense pancake and I can see them being served alongside a chowder or stew.
The Process:
Once again, I selected a recipe with core ingredients that would be a challenge to modify for a healthy alternative. After all, once a recipe includes a cup of rum, you might as well toss health and nutrition out the window. For a brief moment, I considered replacing the rum with rum flavoring or extract but was too curious to taste the results. Besides, if the colonists cooked with rum… so can I!
To modify the recipe, I went vegan and reduced the sugar content significantly.
OOPS – I was going to add silken tofu to increase the protein content but completely spaced out and left the tofu in the fridge.
I reduced the sugar grams a smidge by using less molasses and also nut milk. As a result,the carbs were reduced by increasing the dietary fiber with whole wheat flour and flax meal.
But again, once you add molasses, rum and a bunch of flour in a recipe, carbs and sugars are certainly going to be through the roof.
As my mother says in the recipe, it’s a very rich pancake with a thick batter, so you may need to add more almond milk or rum accordingly.
Note: I used an almond coconut milk blend. This brand sweetens with Monk fruit to reduce sugar content.
If you use unsweetened almond milk or regular milk you will want to add sweetener.
Rum and Rye Vegan Pancakes
Ingredients:
3 cups of rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Tablespoon of vinegar
Flax egg – 2 tablespoons ground flax meal mix with 5 tablespoons of warm water (sit for 10 mins)
2 cups of almond milk or milk alternative of your choice
Half cup or more of dark rum
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
Sugar and apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Combine batter ingredients and fry on a hot greased griddle. If the batter is too stiff, add more milk.
To make the dipping sauce, place the sugar in a bowl and add enough vinegar to make the consistency of a spreadable butter or jam. You can either spread the mixture on your pancakes or dip
This recipe makes about two dozen very rich pancakes.
UGH – earlier I mentioned my perfect pancakes if you have the right pan…it’s a BIG IF… what a mess! Once I switched pans, it was cool.
Results:
These were super heavy pancakes and hit me like a ton of bricks! In part because I eat very few grains, but also because they’re just very heavy. I imagine they filled the Colonists bellies well. I’m not sure they’ll remain on my menu…they’re kind of weird…but maybe as a side to corn or cod chowder …or perhaps if I added ginger to the recipe and top with vanilla ice cream (just thinking out loud).
While I really try to avoid added sugar, especially any white sugar in my diet, I had to try the vinegar-sugar sauce. The flavor profile with the rye, vinegar and rum was really interesting.
Week 14 Recipe Pick
