We all know that most of us eat too much gluten. If we eat packet foods it’s almost certain gluten will be lurking within, unless the pack is specifically marked ‘gluten free’. Every time we have a piece of conventional bread or any other bakery goods we’re consuming gluten. We also have a huge amount of wheat in our diet, and who knows if it’s genetically modified or not? Probably the latest hybrid variety isn’t that good for our health, anyway.
So it’s good to experiment with other flours just to give our bodies a rest from unrelenting gluten ingestion. That’s what I was telling myself this morning when I decided I should try something flour based — but gluten free and vegan – in my pan on top of the stove. Start simple, I exhorted myself. So I did. I began with just potato flour and water, thinking I would make some kind of pancake. This experiment was a resounding success. Uhh, if you want glue, that is. The bottom cooked the same way a firm paste would mature if left in the sun for days … and the uncooked top was so sticky it was amazing. I tell you, you’d pay a fortune for glue like that! After flipping the experiment and cooking the other side, I decided that I had an incredible new product on my hands. This was just like one of those gasket thingies the mechanics use! The only thing missing was the cutouts, but they could do that with a stanley knife, couldn’t they? Wow, if they only knew about this, they could DIY and save a fortune on kits. And no doubt the greenies would get on board with this great new product as it’s 100 per cent biodegradable to boot!
With the gasket experiment firmly behind me, I felt that a little further hands-on research was required. Enter some newly bought coconut flour. After mixing with water, I put some in the pan. It spattered and complained, and I could see why. I was expecting an albino to go out in the sun and get a nice tan. Needless to say it didn’t cook well. Okay, then, a blend. I threw some of coconut flour and potato flour together with water and once again oiled my pan. Not quite success but better than the previous two experiments.
I don’t want you to think that I gave up then, but truthfully I gave up trying to make it vegan. I added one egg and a little salt and the result was a deliciously eggy pancake that I consumed with gusto.
I admit that I could probably have done some online research to find out that I couldn’t cook pancakes/flat bread with single ingredient flours like potato or coconut, but sometimes the fun is in doing it for yourself. And every time I do this sort of thing I admit all over again that I’m better at cooking with vegetables – which I guess isn’t such a bad thing.