These “pancakes” are delightfully unique in texture and are a merge of French toast and a perfectly cooked pancake. We loved them!
Mr. EN and I made these pancakes a few weekends ago when we were bored on a Saturday. There’s not a whole lot to do in our little lake town in the winter so setting a new “growth goal” for myself each week is something I do regularly to keep myself from bingeing on too many cookies and too much Netflix. (We’ve had some ROUGH and SNOWY weekends lately.) That particular weekend, I had set two goals for myself: 1.) to make a pancake unlike any other I’ve made before and 2.) to master “the pour shot”. Incredibly (without nearly as much effort as I thought it would take) we slam-dunked both goals with my trusty Nikon D3100 and these Citrus-Ricotta French Toast Pancakes.
These pancakes are absolutely brilliant. They merge the light and fluffiness of what most people seek in the perfect pancake with the eggy vanilla-y richness, and crisp-around-the-edgesness of homemade French toast. A win-win in my book!
And check this out! The “pour shot” was a win too! I think it came our pretty good thanks to Mr. EN’s steady pouring hand. :-0
Beyond tasting delicious these Citrus Ricotta French Toast Pancakes are:
- Airy
- Rich
- A citrus flavor burst
- Tender
- Perfectly sweet
- Satisfying
- & Perfect for anyone who loves pancakes (gluten free or not)
Prep Tips
- Oranges or Lemons? If you wish, you can make this recipe by subbing out fresh lemon for oranges and lemon extract for the orange extract. Use about ½ the lemon zest as you would orange zest. Your pancakes will be less orange in color but will taste delicious! Also, a word about zesting: be sure to wash and dry the fruit before zesting and don’t zest too deeply or you’ll run into the bitter (not good) stuff.
- Gluten free or not? We made this recipe with gluten free all-purpose flour. I think regular all- purpose flour would work fine but personally, I haven’t tried it yet.
- Don’t use non-stick spray. To get the crispy-crunchy edges, you really need to use butter or coconut oil for frying the pancakes. I used butter. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely believe there’s a place for non-stick spray in a healthy diet, it’s just not in these pancakes.
(One more “pour shot”.)
Are you looking for a new and different pancake recipe? Fire up the skillet! I can’t wait to hear about how much you loved these Citrus Ricotta French Toast Pancakes.
Peace, love and good eats, from our empty nest to yours.
Trending in the EN Kitchen: Pamela’s Gluten-free Baking and Pancake Mix, purchased at our local Meijer store.
Citrus-Ricotta French Toast Pancakes
Yield 8 pancakes
A citrusy merge of French toast and a perfectly cooked pancake.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix)
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 6 medium eggs, separated
- 1 ½ cups low-fat ricotta cheese
- ¼ teaspoon orange extract
- zest of 1-2 medium oranges
- butter or coconut oil for grilling
Instructions
- Separate eggs and measure out all your ingredients.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, baking soda, salt, orange zest and egg yolks and orange extract until thoroughly combined. Stir in the gluten free flour and set aside. Thoroughly wash and dry the beaters.
- In a medium-size, clean, dry, cold mixing bowl, using the electric mixer again, beat the egg whites until they begin to form medium-soft (not stiff) peaks. Note: Put the bowl and in the refrigerator to cool 15-20 minutes before using. This will help the egg whites hold their peaks.
- Slowly and carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the ricotta mixture until well-combined. It’s important to slowly incorporate the egg whites into the batter or the pancakes will not be as light in texture.
- Heat a griddle, cast-iron skillet, or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. The cooking surface is ready when a drop of water sizzles away completely. Lower the heat to medium and place enough butter (or coconut oil) to coat the griddle or bottom of pan.
- Slowly drop the batter onto the griddle or pan using ½ cup measuring cup.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan or griddle. The pancakes will begin to set-up around the edges and puff up creating little bubbles on the surface of the entire pancake, not just around the edges.
- Flip the pancake over and cook another 1-2 minutes. Repeat until remaining batter is completely used.
- You can keep the pancakes warm in the oven at 150-200°F while you finish making the rest of the pancakes.
- Serve with your favorite pancake topping. One serving is two pancakes.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 panakes
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 362 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 19 g | 29% | |
Saturated Fat 10 g | 50% | |
Cholesterol 319 mg | 106% | |
Sodium 355 mg | 15% | |
Total Carbohydrates 26 g | 9% | |
Dietary Fiber 1 g | 4% | |
Protein 21 g | 42% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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