In an effort to keep an eye on my blood sugar, I have been trying to reduce my sugar intake, but also looking for substitutes to those other ingredients that are notorious for spiking blood sugar levels.

One such ingredient is wheat. I love bread, and pastry and cookies and cakes, so trying to find a wheat flour alternative was my first challenge. After a bit of reading, I discovered that spelt flour was a good substitute for most things. It is an ancient ancestor of wheat, but due to a higher fibre and protein content, its energy is released much slower so the impact on your blood sugar is far less dramatic.

I didn’t want to compromise on taste though. However, I need not have worried. Wholewheat Spelt flour is easily available from supermarkets, but for something as delicate as pancakes, I wanted something a little lighter. Handily, there is a white flour version too. I added in some milled flax seed which adds a very subtle nutty taste, but more importantly, adds a little substance and structure to the pancakes. Flax seed is also extremely nutritious and high in Omega 3.

You can add fruit, or chocolate chips or whatever you would normally add to your pancake recipe if you want, but I have a fondness to just dousing it in lovely rich maple syrup, lightly warmed. Do yourself a favour, and make a batch of these for breakfast this Sunday… you can thank me later.

Spelt and Flax Seed Pancakes

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Serves	12-14
Allergy	Egg, Gluten, Milk
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Breakfast
By author	Mutherfudger

Ingredients

• 200g White Spelt Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 50g Granulated Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Milled Flax Seed
• pinch Salt
• 250ml Semi-skimmed Milk
• 1 Large Free Range Egg
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 30g Butter, melted

Directions

1.	Melt the butter and put to one side to cool
2.	Add the flour, baking powder, salt, flax and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and stir to mix evenly
3.	In a jug, measure out the milk then add in the egg and vanilla and beat together
4.	Pour the wet ingredients into the dry whisking as you do so. Stop once just mixed and no dry ingredients are visible
5.	Pour the melted butter in slowly while stirring, then leave the mixture for 15 minutes to relax
6.	Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat. Pour a small ladle full of mixture in the centre of the pan about 4"/10cm wide
7.	Allow the pancake to cook for about 2 minutes. When bubbles appear on the top and the edges lose their sheen, carefully flip over
8.	Cook the other side for about 1 minute, then place in a low heated oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the batter
9.	Serve with fresh fruit, or a generous drizzle of maple syrup

Note

Left over pancakes (if there are any!) can be frozen. Allow to defrost before reheating gently in a warm oven or toaster