Fixing the failcakes

I make Paleo pancakes for Mik all the time, but until recently I wasn't quite satisfied with the recipe. The main problem was that they tended to fall apart so easily. You had to make them really tiny, and if you weren't extremely careful when flipping them, you still ended up with a mess. Which is why Mik referred to them as "failcakes."

Since discovering the miracle of potato starch, though, I've tweaked the recipe and now think they're perfect enough to share. This is a pretty eggy pancake, but that's by design—my way of tricking the boy into eating eggs. Of course the next project will be perfecting the egg-free version for Dex and me.

Grain-free pancakes

¼ cup almond flour
2 T coconut flour
1 T potato starch
½ t baking soda
3 eggs
half a stick of butter, melted
¼ to ½ cup water (or milk)
1 t vanilla
1 T maple syrup
add a pinch of salt if you're using unsalted butter

Use more water for thinner pancakes (about eight of them) and less water for thick and fluffy ones (about six). Mix all the ingredients and let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile heat a griddle to 200 degrees (a low temperature because almond flour burns easily). When the batter and griddle are ready, pour your pancakes. Flip them when you begin to see bubbles—it takes maybe five minutes or so, so be patient and take a peek around the edges before flipping.

Serves one teenage swimmer if you supplement with bacon.