Savoury Buckwheat Crepes

Buckwheat Crepes are the traditional savoury crepe of France. Despite the name, buckwheat flour contains no wheat and is naturally gluten free. For this reason alone I should have been more adventurous with buckwheat flour but the truth is I thought buckwheat had a weird taste. With so many gluten free flours to choose from I avoided it for a long time.

Eventually I read that buckwheat flour made soft, pliable wraps so I bought some. I learned a little more about it and experimented with my basic Banana Muffin recipe. In this recipe I often substitute a small amount of any new  flour for the total amount of flour so I can learn how it affects the recipe. I also like to use up leftover bits of flour and flour blends in this way. I quickly discovered that buckwheat flour does not have the weird taste I was expecting.

So the experimenting continued. In my kitchen that most often involves some variation of pancakes, waffles, cookies and brownies. I’m always on a mission to make traditional dishes that use all the different flours I wrote about in my 12-post series titled How To Use gluten free flour. These buckwheat crepes are a result of this quest.

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Filling Ideas for Buckwheat Crepes

Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner savoury crepes can be filled with anything. Savoury breakfast crepes can include any combination of eggs, vegetables and meat, and yes, hollandaise sauce on top is just fine. Later in the day you might prefer chicken or seafood often in a creamy sauce, slices of steak with vegetables, smoked salmon or even lasagne ingredients; there is no limit to the ideas. Following the classic French buckwheat crepe I read about I filled mine with sautéed spinach and mushrooms. It isn’t really a recipe but this is how I did it.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and sauté 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion for a few minutes. Add about 4 ounces of spinach (fresh or frozen) and 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms. Sauté until wilted and warm through, then add ½ cup whipping cream. Fill buckwheat crepes and serve warm.

The Technique

Here are some tips to master the technique of making crepes. Like pancakes the first few might not be perfect but it didn’t take me too long, with two pans going at one time, to get the hang of making crepes.

• the pan needs to be quite hot
• use a tiny amount of oil and wipe the pan with a paper towel before each crepe to evenly re-grease the pan plus pick up any flecks of batter from the last crepe
• use a measuring cup to pour the same amount of batter in the pan each time (you can free-pour but the measured pour worked better for me)
• focus on swirling the pan to cover the entire bottom as quickly as possible
• use the thinnest flipper you have and grease it with oiled paper towel if the crepes are sticking.

The Tools

A crepe pan isn’t necessary but if your family loves crepes here are a few choices you might want to consider.

• Cuisinart’s Classic non-stick 10-inch crepe pan
• This high-end 10-inch Ceramic Nonstick Crepe Pan with a larger edge on one end
• An electric crepe maker with batter spreader and wooden spatula
• Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Crepe Pan

I made my crepes with two regular non-stick pans. I had them both on the stove at the same time to work efficiently, keep me at full attention and to get the perfect temperature. I preferred the thinnest flipper I had in my kitchen.

Let me know in the comments below how the crepes turned out for you. I tried making them as soon as I mixed the batter but the method I wrote here, where the batter sits for a few hours, gave me the best results. Good luck!

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More Crepe Recipes

Gluten Free Crepes for breakfast or a Crepe Cake for dessert. I made both using my gluten free flour mix.

Savoury Buckwheat Crepes

Cinde Little

Savoury Buckwheat Crepes filled with spinach and mushrooms are perfect for brunch. Master the technique of making crepes and you'll have more options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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Course brunch, morning food

Cuisine French

Ingredients

  

• ¾ cup buckwheat flour
• ¼ cup tapioca starch
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk (or 2%)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup water added at the end
• vegetable oil for cooking

Instructions

 

• Put all ingredients EXCEPT WATER in a blender. Blend until evenly mixed, refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Return batter to blender, add water and blend until smooth.
• Heat 10-inch non-stick pan(s) over medium-high heat.
• Pour about ¼ cup batter into the hot pan. Immediately tilt and swirl the pan so the batter coats the entire surface. Cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
• Flip crepe, cook for another 1½-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Put pan back on heat, add more oil if needed wiping away excess oil and flecks of batter with paper towel.
• Continue cooking until all the batter is used.

Notes

Filling suggestions for savoury buckwheat crepes

• Sauteed spinach and mushrooms
• Scrambled eggs with ham and cheese
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese with dill and capers

Keyword savoury buckwheat crepes

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!