Recipe: Buckwheat Crepes

In college, a friend and I used to get together periodically for crepe-making and tea. Crepes have been on my mind (and “to make” list) for a while. Recent build-up to Pancake Day — what UK-ers (UK-ites?) call Shrove Tuesday — finally motivated me to whip up a batch for Sunday brunch (not that I celebrate such a holiday, but any excuse to make pancakes is a good one in my book!).

These crepes are adapted from smitten kitchen — all I did was substitute some buckwheat flour for some of the plain flour. They turned out really well. F and I enjoyed them with combinations of caramelized bananas, peanut butter, chocolate, and maple syrup. Next time we might go savory, with smoked salmon and dill or eggs and cheese. The crepes themselves aren’t sweet or salty, so you can go either way with the fillings. Get creative!

• More (breakfast/brunch-style) pancakes for your Pancake Day fun: Four-B Pancakes — Cornmeal & Caramelized Banana Pancakes — Signature Banana Pancakes — Almond-Coconut Pancakes — Baked Apple-Buckwheat Pancake — Apple Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes — Sour Cream Pancakes — Sweet Potato Pancakes — Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Pancakes — Zucchini Bread Pancakes

Buckwheat Crepes (adapted from smitten kitchen; makes 10-12 crepes, enough for 2-4 people)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour OR whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I used semi-skimmed)
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted & cooled

Procedure

• Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk vigorously or blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for at least an hour and up to two days.
• Take the batter out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you’re ready to make the crepes.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and grease it with a little bit of butter.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, swirling it around until the batter covers most of the pan’s surface evenly. Cook for about 1 minute, then ease a spatula under the edge of the crepe and flip, cooking for another 20-30 seconds. Repeat until the batter is gone (no need to re-grease the skillet).
• Serve crepes with your favorite sweet or savory fillings.

Enjoy!