Buckwheat flour lends a rich, earthy flavour to Breton crepes. These savoury crepes are excellent at any time of day and combine well with savoury fillings like ham and cheese.
I first experienced buckwheat crepes at Breizh Café, a famous creperie in Paris that specializes in crepes from Brittany in north-western France. Made with just eggs, buckwheat flour, water, and salt, the batter is thin and earthy-tasting, with beautiful brown lace edges as it cooks.
While you can stuff it with a variety of fillings, a ham and cheese-filled and egg-topped crepe called a galette complète hits the spot the legendary Breton crepe and makes a filling meal for lunch, brunch or any time of the day you want to travel without boarding a plane.
More crepe recipe:
A simple crepe dough to prepare
Most crepes are made from a simple, thin batter made from water or milk, flour, eggs, and salt, and sometimes butter. No leavening is required and the batter is much thinner than pancake batter, so it slides over a hot pan in a thin layer, just the right thickness to give the filling its proper place. Adding a little sparkling water to the batter will aerate it with tiny bubbles.
The dough is quick and easy to prepare; Simply whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl and let sit for 1 hour to allow the flour to fully hydrate. Sizes range from tiny 4-inch rounds to 12-inch or larger crepes, perfect for an appetizer, mini-dessert, or filling meal. Traditionally, crepes are made from wheat flour, but these Crepes Bretonnes are made from buckwheat flour.
Buckwheat flour makes crepes gluten-free
Buckwheat has been grown in Brittany since the Middle Ages. It may surprise you, but buckwheat does not actually contain “wheat”. it’s not even a grain. The flour, both dark and light, is made from the seeds of an herb in the knotweed family, which grows best in poor soil without the use of pesticides or fertilizers.
In addition to its pure cultivation formula, buckwheat is a veritable treasure trove of nutrients. For home cooking, I prefer the lighter buckwheat to the dark gray flour. It just looks nicer.
Mix and match fillings
The fillings can be as foreign as those served at Breizh Café mentioned above, but they are like pizza toppings. If a combination sounds good to you, go for it! Here are a few examples to get you started:
- Boiled spinach and goat cheese
- Smoked salmon and whipped cream cheese and chives
- Mixed seafood in curry sauce
you have the idea They can be as fancy or as fancy as you want them to be.
Tips for making the perfect crepes
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- Beat the dough vigorously so no lumps. It should be just a little thinner than heavy cream.
- Let the dough hydrate At least 1 hour at room temperature or up to two days in the fridge. If you’ve ever noticed that pancake batter thickens as it sits, that’s because the flour is slow to absorb the liquid and the batter thickens.
- Prepare the ingredients for the filling before you begin and have them ready.
- Use a coated pan, heat it over high heat, then lightly smear it on the bottom of the pan with the end of a knob of butter or brush with melted butter. The key is to keep the butter coating light.
- Start with medium heatthen turn the heat down to medium or medium-low while the crepe cooks.
- Options: Test the dough. Before making your first full-size crepe, scoop about 1/4 cup into the pan and swirl around. It should glide quickly and easily across the floor in a thin layer. If it seems thick, thin the batter with water and try again. Expect to have a starter crepe that you may not use, and that’s okay!
- Use a ladle or measuring cup with a spout to add the batter to the pan to control portion size.
- Use a silicone spatula to release the edges and fold the crepe.
Big on buckwheat? Try these recipes!
- Buckwheat pancakes
- Buckwheat waffles
- Sesame Soba Noodles
- Bibim Gusku (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)
- Soba noodle bowls with spinach and egg
Buckwheat crepes with egg, ham, cheese and asparagus
ingredients
For the crepe batter
- 1 1/4 cups quiet water
- 2 Big Eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 cups (180G) buckwheat flour
- 1/4 to 1/3 Cup sparkling waterplus additional sparkling water as needed
For the crepe filling
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 12 asparaguspeeled when thick
- About 2 tablespoon salted or unsalted butter
- 4 Big Eggs
- 4 oz (2 cups) grated Gruyere cheese
- 4 thin slices hameach cut or torn into 2 to 3 pieces
method
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Make the crepe batter:
In a large bowl, whisk together the still water, eggs, and salt.
Gradually stir in the flour until the batter is smooth and a few bubbles appear on the surface. Stir in the sparkling water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight to allow the flour to fully hydrate.
Take the dough out of the fridge. It should be much thinner than pancake batter. Add more sparkling water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until batter is slightly thinner than cream.
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Cooking asparagus:
In a large pan, bring 1 inch of water and the salt to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
Place on a cutting board with tongs and cut the sticks into thirds. Set aside part of the asparagus for garnish and use the rest for the crêpe filling.
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Cooking the first crepe:
Set a 10-12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and heat until hot. Scrape the end of a stick of butter over the hot pan to lightly coat.
Scoop in 1/2 cup of the batter and quickly tip the pan in a circular motion to thinly coat the surface of the pan. If the batter is too thick, it won’t spread quickly. Thin the batter with water, a tablespoon or so at a time, and try again with another crepe, or test with a small amount of batter first to make sure it’s thin enough. Don’t worry if it takes a few tries; You should have a lot of dough.
Place the pan back on the stove and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook for a few seconds or until the crepe starts to set. Remove the pan from the stove.
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Fill the crepe:
Crack an egg onto one side of the pancake and spread the egg whites with the back of a spoon, giving the egg time to cook until the cheese melts.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese around the egg and arrange ham pieces around it made from 1 slice of ham and about 6 pieces of asparagus.
The filling should be on one side of the crepe. If necessary, gently slide the egg into the center of one side and use the filling to hold it in place. You will fold the other side over the filling.
Put the pan back on low heat. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the cheese melts and the egg whites are cooked. The yolk will still be soft.
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Fold the crepe:
Using a flexible rubber spatula, loosen the edges of the crepe around the pan. Fold the unfilled side over the filling. Slide a large spatula under the crepe and place on a plate. Top with the reserved asparagus for garnish.
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Finish cooking and fill the remaining crepes one at a time:
Repeat with the remaining batter, eggs, ham, cheese and asparagus to make more crepes.
Serve immediately, or if you want to serve them all at once, keep them in a 200ºF oven while you prepare the remaining crepes.
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Alternative method of making a traditional style square galette:
Follow the steps above, but in step 4, place the egg in the center of the crepe. Spread out the white as above. Surround the yolks with cheese, ham and asparagus. If the egg moves to one side, use your fingers to make a ditch around the yolk and gently guide the yolk into the center. When the egg has boiled and the cheese has melted, fold the crepe in half on all 4 sides, making a square with the yolk showing in the center.
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| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 754 | calories |
| 40g | Fat |
| 36g | carbohydrates |
| 65g | protein |
