Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Kaiserschmarren (Scratched Pancake)
Kaiserschmarren is actually a scratched pancake and it's still one of the most famous and popular desserts in Vienna (Austria). Its origins go back to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and legend says it was first made for Emperor Franz Joseph I. This recipe is made gluten and dairy free.
Kaiserschmarren is actually a scratched pancake and it's still one of the most famous and popular desserts in Vienna (Austria). Its origins go back to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and legend says it was first made for Emperor Franz Joseph I. This recipe is made gluten and dairy free.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups oatmeal flour any common gluten free baking flout mix would work, but better avoid rise and cornmeal
- 2 cups dairy free milk hazelnut or almond milk is great, but anything could work.
- 2/3 cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar use same amount of sveatener if you prefer. if your milk is sweatened, you can even leave this out.
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- jam or fruit sauce if jam, than as fluid as you can get.
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon butter or oil
- Carbohydrate 70.5152083638041 g
- Cholesterol 186.12 mg
- Fat 10.1282620299716 g
- Fiber 4.65966666980574 g
- Protein 14.588680001051 g
- Saturated Fat 2.37405824505876 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (140g)
- Sodium 79.1298614376115 mg
- Sugar 65.8555416939983 g
- Trans Fat 1.52464446266551 g
- Calories 424 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix together the flour, raisins and the milk. Set aside at least for 20 minutes. Originally in old times they used to let it sink even one night.
- Separate egg yolks and whites.
- Mix the yolks, the brown sugar, the vanilla extract and the lemon zest to your batter.
- Beat the egg whites till stiff.
- Stir the whites gently to the batter. It's better to do it by hand.
- Heat a teaspoon of butter/oil in a pancake pan or frying pan and allow it to start bubbling.
- Pour the half of the batter into the pan and cook it covered on a medium heat till bubbles creates on the top of it. Than gently flip it using a spatula and fry on the other side other 5 or so minutes. When the batter is nicely browned, use two spatula to scratch it to peaces.
- Serve with jam or fruit sauce and stir powdered sugar on the top if you prefer.
Why does doubling this batter often result in a dense, rubbery center instead of the fluffy texture expected from a shredded pancake? Scaling a batter relies entirely on thermal mass and pan surface area. When multiplying ingredients past a single batch, pouring the entire volume into one standard skillet creates a layer too thick for the heat to penetrate before the bottom burns. Heat must travel through a greater depth of wet starch, preventing the steam from expanding the whipped egg whites efficiently. Splitting large batches into two separate pans preserves the delicate air pockets folded into the meringue.
The Hydration Mechanics of Oatmeal Flour
Oatmeal flour absorbs liquid at a significantly slower rate than wheat flour because of its unique soluble fiber profile, particularly beta-glucan. Letting the initial mixture rest for the specified 20 minutes allows the flour particles to fully hydrate, preventing a gritty final mouthfeel. Omitting this rest period leaves free water in the batter, which thwarts the stiffly beaten egg whites by dissolving their structural bubble walls. Substituting almond milk for dairy milk introduces higher fat percentages, which slightly dampens foam stability during folding.
Thermal Control During the Scramble
Maintaining medium heat ensures the underside browns evenly without scorching the natural sugars present in the raisins and brown sugar. Waiting for surface bubbles to form indicates that carbon dioxide and steam are actively escaping, signaling the internal protein network has set enough to support a flip. Tearing the pancake into pieces with two spatulas rather than cutting it with a knife creates jagged, high-surface-area edges that crisp up rapidly when exposed to residual pan heat.
