Ode to Buckwheat + Buckwheat Blueberry Banana Muffins
My favorite gluten-free pseudocereal and a fistful of recipes.
Ever since I first tasted a buckwheat cake, I've been hooked. I don't think there's a more flavorful, complex, gluten-free "grain" than buckwheat. It tastes rich, earthy, and almost sweetly spicy (cinnamon-ish). Buckwheat doesn't hide. It stands out in both flavor and color. Most buckwheat flours lend a dark warm grey color to baked goods, even in small quantities.
When I knew that I would be publishing my favorite buckwheat recipe, I thought of doing a bit of a series on this grain. Then Janie’s Mill started selling both hulled and whole buckwheat groats in addition to their fantastic buckwheat flour. I decided it was time for BUCK-WEEK!
Some buckwheat facts:
It’s not related wheat at all—in fact, the it’s gluten-free.
Buckwheat is related to rhubarb.
It’s featured in cultures all over the world: Japanese soba, French buckwheat crepes (AKA galettes), Italian pizzoccheri, and much, much more.
Buckwheat makes a great cover crop and many farmers use it between other crops to help nourish the soil.
Buckwheat attracts helpful pollinators like bees, and buckwheat honey is deep, dark, complex and will absolutely blow your mind.
Buckwheat grows in places with less fertile soil, where it’s too cool, or the growing season is too short for other grains, like wheat.
It’s high in protein, fiber, and several vitamins and minerals.
Did I mention how tasty it is?
I find buckwheat to be an easy, flavorful gluten-free grain to work with. It often behaves similar to wheat, as you’ll see in my muffin recipe below. I’m still shocked that you can often swap out regular all-purpose flour for buckwheat one-to-one in certain cookie and cake recipes.
Hazelnut & Buckwheat Cake
My recipe for Buchweizenkuchen, or hazelnut and buckwheat cake, brings up so many memories. We all have taste memories that stir something up deep inside, and this recipe always does that for me. It's not a flashy or showy dessert, but instead a unique, complex flavor combination based on traditional ingredients that come together to form a rustic, haunting cake.
I was over the moon when one of the founders of TRINK magazine contacted me. In their words, "TRINK Magazine is an independent quarterly digital publication exploring the German-speaking wines of Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland." Most of you wouldn't know this, but I am a big wine nerd. I worked at a winery in college and for a bit after that, and did a stint as a wine consultant/educator/buyer at a large wine store here in Chicago. I don't drink a lot, but I love the world of flavors and terroir that wine offers. I'm especially enamored with the wines from German-speaking places, so I jumped at the chance to write for TRINK magazine. And I knew that the magazine was the perfect place to unveil one of my favorite recipes.
Seeing this recipe in "print" brings tears to my eyes. I first developed the recipe after a trip to magical South Tyrol in 2019. I've been tweaking and adjusting the recipe since then. I adapted it into a decorated sheet-cake and baked that for Paul Hollywood in the big white tent. This recipe sits close to my heart. It's obscure, delicious, and I hope you all go and make it.
And if you can get your paws on a bottle of the Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer Gewürztraminer, you will thank me. This bottle may be the best Gewürztraminer I've ever had.
Get the recipe in TRINK Magazine.
More Buckwheat Recipes
I’ve created a lot of recipes that feature buckwheat. Here are just a few:
And here's a new recipe for you!
Blueberry Banana Buckwheat Muffins
Muffins should whip up quickly, so that you can wake up and have them ready in time for breakfast. When it's that early, I don't want to get out any machinery, so this is a one-bowl recipe. Ok, you may need another bowl to mash the bananas.
When I first made these muffins, I assumed that I had to use half all-purpose flour and half buckwheat flour to get them light and fluffy enough. Nope. Using 100% buckwheat flour gave me a muffin that I enjoyed. It's hearty and very buckwheat-y without being too dense. They rise and crack beautifully, like any other muffin.
(Double this recipe to make a dozen big muffins.)
Makes 6 big muffins.
150 g buckwheat flour
75 g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
56 g olive oil (or any neutral-tasting oil)
100 g super-ripe banana (I just use 1-medium sized banana.)
1 large egg
56 g buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
75 g fresh or frozen blueberries. (If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them. For the best flavor, I prefer using frozen wild blueberries.)
2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
2 Tablespoons hulled buckwheat groats
Heat the oven to 375F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Line six cavities of a muffin tin with liners or grease the muffin tin very well. (These are big muffins, so I prefer the tulip type liners. Plus, I think that those look nicer and help the muffins transport more easily.)
In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until look like a puree with only a few chunks.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Add the oil, mashed banana, egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and whisk everything thoroughly to combine. Buckwheat doesn't have any gluten, so don't fret about over-mixing. Add the blueberries and stir them through the batter with a spatula.
Divide the batter into the lined muffin tin. Sprinkle each muffin with about 2 teaspoons of buckwheat groats then about 2 teaspoons of coarse turbinado sugar.
Bake at 375F for 28-32 minutes, until the muffins spring back when you gently press them in the center.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. You can eat these warm. They're at their tastiest if you cut them in half and spread them with some salted butter or peanut butter.
These are best the day they're made or the following day.
Happy Baking,
Martin