Fluffy pear and besan flour pancakes with a caramel pear sauce

I have had the concept of a sweet pear and besan flour dish in mind for some time now. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but it is an idea that got stuck! I thought about making a cake or slice, but in the end these pancakes won out. It helped that I could eat them for breakfast. I'm not averse to the idea of cake for breakfast, but it is a bit harder to justify.

These feature spelt flour as well as besan, in equal parts. I added baking powder for a fluffy, thick texture, and cinnamon and vanilla just because. Apple cider vinegar helps with the fluffiness too.

There is pear within the pancakes, but I served these with a caramel pear sauce as well. It is easy to make, although a food processor or blender is required. Simply blitz dates and fresh pear until smooth, and - voila! With that said, if you aren't in the mood for blitzing ingredients first thing in the morning, maple syrup could provide an alternative.

I highly recommend serving these with berries, but if you can't get hold of any, stewed fruit would work as well.

Fluffy pear and besan flour pancakes with a caramel pear sauce

A sweet spin on besan flour, perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast

Vegan, low fat and wheat free (although note that spelt does contain gluten)

Makes 6 thick pancakes

Small blender or food processor required for the sauce

Author: Bite-sized thoughts

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Ingredients

For the pancakes

50g (1/3 metric cup) besan flour (chickpea flour)

50g (1/3 metric cup) spelt flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

165ml (2/3 metric cup) unsweetened almond milk, or milk of choice

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 pear, chopped into small pieces

Oil spray, for cooking

For the sauce

4 dates (mine were regular dried dates, not medjool)

1 pear, roughly chopped

Berries or stewed fruit, to serve

Method

Combine the flours and baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the vinegar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk well. Add the pear pieces and stir through. Allow to stand while your pan heats.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and spray with oil. When hot, use a ladle or 1/4 cup to scoop batter into the pan. Tilt the pan to distribute evenly, but don't distribute too thinly - think hotcakes rather than crepes. Cook for 2-3 minutes before flipping and repeating for the other side. The pancakes should be golden when cooked. Repeat for the remaining batter.

While the pancakes are cooking, blitz the dates and pear in a small blender or food processor (I used a Nutribullet), until smooth.

To serve, layer the pancakes with a dessertspoon of the caramel pear sauce between each layer. Use a spoon to drizzle more sauce over the pancake stack. Serve with berries or other fruit. 

 What is your favourite way to use besan (chickpea) flour?

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