Buckwheat Crepes and Pancakes

[Mona]

Like I said, I'm going to do the buckwheat bread video as soon as we get our camera back from the shop. I think it will help a lot to not only hear the explanations, but to see it in action. They are SOOOO easy that we literally make about 100 of the bun sized ones every day. They are used for sandwiches, little pizzas, sweetbread with cinnamon, savory bread with soups and stews, just literally everything that you use other breads for! All from the same basic recipe. Once you get it down pat, you can keep a bowl of batter in the fridge at all times and when you want anything at all in the bread line, in less than ten minutes, you have fresh made bread.

I cannot wait to see this video. I am soooooooo bad in making the buckwheat bread, that it's not even funny. This has been a real challenge for me, and I am a good baker, it's just that I don't know how to manipulate the flour with the yeast so that the bread does not come out so hard. I have not had any other choice but to buy a frozen brown rice bread and bagels. It would be nice to take a bite from an oven baked bread. My salivary glands have just been activated. :P

 

[dugdeep]

I spent the weekend experimenting with buckwheat pancakes and crepes. They turned out pretty good, although when I tried to make "wraps" for chicken, lettuce and homemade sauerkraut (yum) tonight they seemed to stick to the pan and ended up falling apart when I tried to flip them. I think the problem was that the batter was too thick. I had made a big batch of batter on Sunday and used it for lunch and dinner and it seemed to get thicker in the fridge. Although I watered it down some on Sunday night, I forgot to tonight and I think that's why I was running into problems with it.

I used buckwheat flour, salt, water and a few drops of stevia extract.

I'm looking forward to more experiments with this - they're really tasty!

 

[aragorn]

Hi dugdeep, I sometimes put thin slices of carrot in the mix. This holds the crepes even better together and helps them from sticking to the skillet. Carrot gives a nice variation to the taste too, since we eat buckwheat crepes every morning :)

 

[KC Kelly]

Like I said, I'm going to do the buckwheat bread video as soon as we get our camera back from the shop. I think it will help a lot to not only hear the explanations, but to see it in action. They are SOOOO easy that we literally make about 100 of the bun sized ones every day. They are used for sandwiches, little pizzas, sweetbread with cinnamon, savory bread with soups and stews, just literally everything that you use other breads for! All from the same basic recipe. Once you get it down pat, you can keep a bowl of batter in the fridge at all times and when you want anything at all in the bread line, in less than ten minutes, you have fresh made bread.

Thanks for the heads-up! I'll be checking periodically for the video. Gonna give it another shot today with a bit thinner batter. Looking forward to making these a lot in the near future!

 

[dugdeep]

Hi dugdeep, I sometimes put thin slices of carrot in the mix. This holds the crepes even better together and helps them from sticking to the skillet. Carrot gives a nice variation to the taste too, since we eat buckwheat crepes every morning :)

Thanks Aragorn! I think I might give that a try next time.

 

[Mrs. Peel]

Just made up my first batch of buckwheat pancakes and they turned out pretty good! However, not as good as they could have been, so I'm seeking some advice here to refine my method.

The outside cooked up to a nice golden brown--pretty much just like the "regular" pancakes I've made most of my life. However, the insides were still kind of gooey, "batter-ey". But it seemed that if I were to have cooked them any longer, then they would have burned on the outside surfaces in order to get the middle done enough. So in order to get the "middle" done enough without burning the outsides, would I need to thin the batter a bit? Seems like when I have done this with "regular" pancakes they generally fall apart and don't stay together when they are flipped. Any tips or tricks to make a better buckwheat pancake? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm looking forward to having these for breakfast a lot more often in the future. :)

Yeah, that's been my problem too. I cook the bejeebers out of them, but they are still gooey on the inside. Maybe it's the almond milk...

Will wait on the video then.

 

[Gimpy]

Just made up my first batch of buckwheat pancakes and they turned out pretty good! However, not as good as they could have been, so I'm seeking some advice here to refine my method.

The outside cooked up to a nice golden brown--pretty much just like the "regular" pancakes I've made most of my life. However, the insides were still kind of gooey, "batter-ey". But it seemed that if I were to have cooked them any longer, then they would have burned on the outside surfaces in order to get the middle done enough. So in order to get the "middle" done enough without burning the outsides, would I need to thin the batter a bit? Seems like when I have done this with "regular" pancakes they generally fall apart and don't stay together when they are flipped. Any tips or tricks to make a better buckwheat pancake? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm looking forward to having these for breakfast a lot more often in the future. :)

Yeah, that's been my problem too. I cook the bejeebers out of them, but they are still gooey on the inside. Maybe it's the almond milk...

Will wait on the video then.

I think a thinner batter is the key. I made my first batch this morning, and stuck to Laura's recipe from early in the thread: 2 c flour, 3 c liquid. I ended up thinning it with another half cup of water, but it was still really thick. I kept the crepe pan on med high heat, and set a timer for 3 minutes a side, and that worked ok. The cakes were crispy and stiff though, and not very large. Being the first time, I figure there's a learning curve. ;) I used coconut milk thinned with water, and it was pretty good. For topping for Hubby, I mashed banana with ghee and some maple syrup. (He's not on the diet) He said it was delicious and couldn't finish his plate, something that rarely happens.

If your cakes are getting gooey and your batter is thin, try making them smaller. I kept mine small since I'm learning, but they were still good.

 

[Laura]

As I've mentioned several times, I now use just water. You must control the heat to make them cook properly whether thick or thin. Lower heat for thick, medium heat for thin.

Here's the mix ingredients:

water
oil
baking powder
salt
D-ribose powder or a bit of powdered sugar.

I generally use a lot of oil - grapeseed and plenty of salt. The ribose/sugar makes them brown nicely.

Now, if you put the water in the bowl first, add the salt, baking powder, oil and ribose and mix it up, you can then add the flour until the mixture is the right thickness to begin to experiment. If you start experimenting with a thin batter, you can always add a bit more flour.

Use an iron skillet that is WELL oiled. I use duck fat and replenish it constantly through the cooking process as it is absorbed by the cakes. If the heat is low to medium and the pan is good and hot, but not smoking, then a spoonful of batter should cook about two minutes until bubbles show through and the first side is nicely browned. I let them get pretty dark because then they are crispy. Then, turn over - making sure you still have a good fat layer in the pan - and let the other side cook to the desired darkness.

The color I like is about the color of an oatmeal cookie - dark brown. They can be lighter, but if so, you need to drop the heat and cook them slower.

If the batter is thin and the fat is generous, they will be crispy and lacy even. You can experiment with this to get them the way you like them.

As for the proportions, about 2 cups or more of water per cup of flour. About 1/2 tsp salt, baking powder and ribose/sugar per cup of flour. About 1/3 cup of oil per 2 cups of water. Those are just general approximations because I never measure anything when I cook but should be good enough to get your experiment started.

It really does seem to work better to start with the liquid first - water and oil - and add the other ingredients to that, gradually adding the flour until you get a thin batter and then add more flour if and as needed.

Having the pan HOT, but not smoking, before you put the first spoonful of batter on the griddle is also important.

Having a good fat on the pan is also important. Like I said, I use duck fat. I would recommend lard or bacon fat or grapeseed oil for cooking.

If you want to use the cakes for pizzas, make them with thin batter and make them small. Then, line them all up on a baking sheet or pizza stone and add the sauce and toppings (sans cheese). Then slip under the broiler for a few minutes. I drizzle them with a mix of balsamic vinegar and olive oil as a substitute for cheese.

If you want breakfast sweet bread, just make them plain and crispy, (which means a good coating of fat in the pan) maybe add a little xylitol to the mix. Make them crispy with plenty of fat for cooking. Then, serve with xylitol and cinnamon sprinkled on top. This is also a good, quick snack and satisfies the sweet tooth.

With the basic recipe, you can vary it in all kinds of ways. Add chopped herbs and onions to make savory breads for dinner.

Note: the d-ribose/powdered sugar is in there for browning purposes. You use the ribose/powdered sugar even if making savory breads. It "conditions" the buckwheat and does not add sweetness.

The first thing I do when I go into the kitchen every morning - or whoever goes in there first does it - is make the buckwheat batter and start the pan heating. By the time other people are up, there is usually a big platter of the cakes made.

We make them in a special pan that cooks four of them exactly the same size, but that's not essential. Any good iron skillet or griddle will do. The size is about that of a hamburger bun in diameter. (You can use them for sandwiches.)

If you want the surface softer or less crispy, just have the pan lightly oiled.

It's not rocket science, but it does take some experimentation to get everything exactly right for your own tastes. Like I said, I don't use the milks anymore, just water and d-ribose. If you use almond milk or rice milk, you don't need the d-ribose.

My earlier recipe was for a bit thicker batter, and it did take longer to cook at lower heat. Now, we turn them out fast and thin and crispy most of the time.

I think we must make over a hundred of them per day for 13 people to have breakfast breads, lunch sandwiches, dinner breads with soup, and snacks in between. The bowl of batter sits beside the stove with the pan at the ready all day for another batch to be made whenever anyone wants one or two. It only gets washed up and put away at night.

 

[Gimpy]

I had them tonight and used just water, but no baking powder. One cup of flour made about 8 or 9 crispy cakes, most of them burner sized. I stuffed them like tacos with seasoned ground beef. (just garlic and salt)

I think what I'll do is make them up on a weekend, when I'm doing the big cook for the week, wrap and either put in the fridge or freeze. :) They are so easy to do I can see making weekly batches.

 

[Mrs. Peel]

Use an iron skillet that is WELL oiled. I use duck fat and replenish it constantly through the cooking process as it is absorbed by the cakes. If the heat is low to medium and the pan is good and hot, but not smoking, then a spoonful of batter should cook about two minutes until bubbles show through and the first side is nicely browned. I let them get pretty dark because then they are crispy. Then, turn over - making sure you still have a good fat layer in the pan - and let the other side cook to the desired darkness.

With my glass cooktop, I can only use stainless steel bottom pans. I admit we have an evil non-stick teflon pan (the Mister bought it) that I've made them in, and didn't use any oil because when I put flaxseed oil in them, they got all greasy.

I'll try making them with water instead of almond milk and ditch the teflon pan.

 

[Nienna]

I was finally able to get a couple of cast iron pans seasoned and have cooked up some crepes in one of them. OMDCM! Forget the teflon! Teflon doesn't even compare to how nice these things cook up in a seasoned and well greased cast iron pan.

Wow! I am totally converted!

 

[Mrs. Peel]

I was finally able to get a couple of cast iron pans seasoned and have cooked up some crepes in one of them. OMDCM! Forget the teflon! Teflon doesn't even compare to how nice these things cook up in a seasoned and well greased cast iron pan.

Wow! I am totally converted!

Well crap, my new house has a glass cooktop also, so no cast-iron pans in my future. :(

 

[3DStudent]

I've heard both sides of using cast iron on glass stovetops. Some say it will scratch or break it, and others say it's ok. Our house has one, but it's kind of hard, so maybe it's not really glass. My 12" cast iron skillet doesn't seem to bother it. FWIW

 

[dugdeep]

I was experimenting with the crepes this weekend. I went out a bought a new flat cast iron crepe pan which I was excited to try out. I had previously been using another cast iron pan, but the bottom of it is slightly convex making it difficult to do the crepe (the ghee would all run away from the centre - I suspect this is the reason I had problems with them sticking to the pan before).

The crepes turned out really nicely - crispy and delicious! One problem I had is that they didn't seem to stand up to folding after filling with ingredients; they would split and fall apart. They still tasted great, I just couldn't pick them up. I know it's just a matter of getting the recipe the right consistency, so I'm going to keep playing with it. This time I used 1C BW flour, 2C water, tsp. gf baking powder, sea salt, minced onion and garlic. Next time I think I'll skip trying to be fancy with the onion and garlic and just try the straight recipe to work out the consistency issues.

Experiments are fun when you get to eat the results ;D

 

[Laura]

Don't use baking powder when making crepes.

Mrs. Peel, I would insist on a gas stove in a new house as a condition of buying it. I don't know if there is a big difference health wise, but there is a huge difference for the cook between using gas and electric. We have six burners, two of them electric. The only things we ever use the electric burners for is just plain out boiling big pots of water or very slow simmering of stews after they have been mostly cooked on the gas burner. You have so much better control of your heat and the cooking process with a flame that you can see not to mention instant cessation of heat when you turn it off.

Finally, I don't know who said you can't use cast iron on a glass cooktop. Seems kinda dumb to make a stove that doesn't handle all kinds of cookware.

ADDED:

I looked for instructions for using glass cooktops. Found the following:

Instructions

1.
Step 1

Look for heavy-gauge pans with a perfectly flat, smooth bottom. Test the bottom of any pan you plan to purchase by placing a ruler against the surface. Turn the ruler around a full 360 degrees. If there are gaps anywhere between the ruler and the bottom of the pan, the pan is not acceptable for use with your cooktop.

2.
Step 2

Measure the size of your burners. Check this against the size of the cookware. The base of any cookware which you buy should be no more than one inch larger or smaller than the burner it is intended for. Check lids to ensure that they fit tightly in their pans. Check the handles to make sure that they're firmly attached to the pans.

3.
Step 3

Shop for stainless steel or cast iron cookware. Avoid purchasing light-gauge cookware such as aluminum. Also avoid purchasing glass, ceramic, earthenware and glazed cookware for your cooktop. These types of cookware often cannot withstand the sudden temperature changes caused by ceramic glass cooktops, and may crack or break with normal use. Also avoid copper cookware, which can melt and fuse with the material of the cooktop.

4.
Step 4

Check your cooktop's user manual for any other specific recommendations made by the manufacturer. Purchase cookware for your cooktop and save the receipt.

5.
Step 5

Place one pan on a burner. Place one inch of water in the pan and turn the burner on high heat. Watch the bubbles which appear. If they look evenly distributed, your pan is heating evenly If the bubbles appear clustered in one spot and are missing from the rest of the pan, the cookware should be returned to the store for a refund.