Magdalena Chávez from El Piano, explains how to make the bread and pancakes at the heart of its gluten-free and vegan kitchen.

It's a new year AND a new opportunity for El Piano as we write for the Health and Well-being pages of our local paper for the first time, and are thrilled to have been invited.

Years ago saying, "I am vegan" made me feel as though I were announcing myself as a member of Star Trek: people certainly often treated it that way.

Now, instead of using the "I am", I tend toward a softer approach of "I eat a plant-based diet". Thanks to celebrities, sportsmen, medics and leaders worldwide, as well as organisations like York's own international Veganuary more and more people are becoming interested in plant-based foods for reasons of health, the environment and animal welfare.

In El Piano we make bread everyday: it can be so limiting if your diet will not allow you to eat it.

Add to this pancakes as February is around the corner, and you have two recipes that are at the heart of our wholly gluten-free and vegan kitchen, foods that are often sadly missed by people who have dietary restrictions. Both are easy and fast to make, and neither costs much...


Bread

Use an empty 500g margarine tub as your measure

Pre-heat the oven to medium hot

Put a pan to boil with two measures of water in it - this is to create steam and warmth while the dough rises

Put an oiled baking sheet on the top - if possible use a silicon baking sheet as no oil is needed

In a large bowl

• 1/2 measure of chick pea flour

• 1/2 measure of buckwheat flour (optional: you can replace this with rice flour)

• 1 measure of rice flour

• I TBL dried yeast

• 2 TBL sugar (to feed the yeast)

• 1 tsp Xanthum gum (the secret ingredient to the dough elasticity)

• Salt to taste

• Herbs/spices/dried fruit to taste (ie mixed herbs/mustard/cinnamon and raisins)

• Mix through by hand

• Add enough boiled hot water to make a soft dough that 'cleans the bowl' exactly as a normal bread mix would

• Form into rolls and place on the sheet that is over the water

• Cover with a cloth to keep them warm Leave until the rolls have risen - about double in size Into the oven for 10-15 minutes That's it.

10-12 burger sized rolls - 24 smaller rolls

Will freeze


Miracle pancakes 

Make them small like blinis or large like crêpes, make the batter thick or thin...add berries, seeds, sugar, spices, herbs, whatever you like...a non-stick pan is definitely preferable and means you can make these fat-free with confidence.

If not using a non-stick pan then a well oiled pan with a touch of oil in the mix will help make the experience less stressful!

• Simply mix the buckwheat flour with water to the consistency you prefer.

• Add salt to taste.

A runny batter will make wafer thin pancakes, less water and you have a griddle cake.

500g of buckwheat flour will yield as much as 80 blinis or 30 crêpes

Will freeze.

El Piano is based in Grape Lane in York. El Piano cookbooks, information about cook classes and free recipes can be found on www.el-piano.com