Buttermilk is the magic ingredient to light and fluffy pancakes.
Eggs are the essentail ingredients for perfect crapes.
A mixture of flours allow buckwheat’s nutty flavors to enliven a unique experience.
Fluffy Pancakes
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup FLOUR (I use gluten free and my husband can’t tell)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted. Can use margarine or olive oil
- 1 egg (or 1/4 cup water & 1Tbsp. ground flax seeds, set aside 2 minutes)
- 1 tsp. vanilla or maple syrup
My old stove had a griddle in the middle and was perfect for flipping pancakes. A frying pan gets hot & may burn wrist, be mindful.
Prep
Step One: Preheat and lightly grease a large skillet or electric griddle to medium-high (don’t let oil smoke. That means it’s too hot.)
Step Two: Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda) together in a big bowl. Use a 16-32 oz (2-4 cup) mixing cup to blend wet ingredients: First add the buttermilk and mix in the melted butter; then add the egg and whip well.
Step Three: In the big bowl hollow out a place in the center of the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and quickly combine, but keep it lumpy. The batter should look thick, spongy, and puffy. (Too much mixing will toughen up the pancakes.)
Step Four: Fill a ladle half full or 1/3 cup of batter and slowly pour onto griddle. Repeat, leaving plenty of space between pancakes for easy flipping. Cook until lightly-browned, 1 to 2 minutes on one side. When pancakes are filled with small bubbles, gently slide a spatula under the pancake and flip. Cook for another 30-45 seconds (or until browned) and use spatula to lift off the griddle.
Delicate Crepes
Make the recipe the night before and place the covered bowl in the fridge to be ready to cook in the morning. Overnight mellowing helps to develop a stronger crape. (If in a hurry, set aside for one houR.)
- 3/4 cup whole milk (or 1 cup almond, coconut milk)
- 1/3 cup water (leave out if using nut milks)
- 1 cup flour (gluten-free can be used)
- 3 small or 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon or 1 tsp. vanilla (either optional)
Follow Step One from above. I add an extra bit of butter for each crape to make sure it lifts easily from the griddle. Pour slowly 1 ladle of batter and quickly swirl the ladle from middle to outside to extend and thin the crape. Fill in any holes with a bit of batter. Look for dry edges to judge that it’s done before flipping and cook the second side for half the time. Cook one large crape at a time.
Buckwheat Cakes
(Bodhi made the best 100% blueberry buckwheat pancakes ever!)
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 1/8 cups buttermilk (or 2/3 cup regular or almond milk with 1/3 cup yogurt)
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 egg (optional or 1/4 cup water & 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds)
- 1/2 cup blueberries or 1 crushed bannana (optional)
- 2 tablespoons honey, molassas or maple syrup (optional)
- Remember to have a bit of butter or vegetable oil for coating the pan or griddle.
Dry Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup buckwheat flour
- 2/3 flour (or use total of 1 1/3 cup buckwheat flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Prepare the same way as for fluffy pancakes.