It was an "epiphany" when I discovered crepes made from sourdough starter. These crepes, like the sourdough pancakes, have a very slight hint of sourness which adds to the complexity of the taste. The chewiness and mouthfeel of these crepes are far superior than those made without the starter. Try it for yourself!
I remember the first time I had a dessert crepe. I spent 3 weeks as an exchange student in France during my senior year in high school. My French family barely spoke English, and by the end of 3 weeks, I was fluent! I would venture into Paris by train and visit the tourist sites on some days when my French "sister" was at school. I remember being so fascinated by these crepe vendors who stood at the street corners with this circular black griddle. They would pour this thin batter into the center of the griddle and move this "wooden rake" contraption in a circular motion until all the batter covered the griddle in a thin, translucent layer.
I loved the "Crepe au chocolat". This crepe would be warm, soft, chewy and the melted chocolate was oh so delicious! It was folded into quarters and stuffed into a paper sleeve, beckoning to be eaten immediately. All this for the amazing price of 75c!
For the longest time I thought that crepes would be impossible to make, let alone be able to master that circular raking motion to get the batter thin. It wasn't until years later that I finally figured out the key to a crepe batter. Crepes made from sourdough starter lends itself well to a "superior" crepe batter, because using the sourdough starter kickstarts the breakdown of the gluten which results in a softer rather than a rubbery texture and also allows you to reduce the "resting" or "autolyzing" time to half an hour rather than an hour. Try it and let me know what you think?
Tips:
Because you are starting with sourdough starter, the batter will become more and more sour if it sits in the refrigerator for days. It is not spoiled, just frermenting more. You can adjust the taste by adding sugar.
I make my batter in a vitamix blender. This "Low profile" vitamix was a birthday gift for my husband. I have to admit that I use it a lot more than him! See helpful tools. It takes less than a minute. A good tip when using a blender is to make sure you add your liquid ingredients first before your solids or else the solids will get stuck beneath the blade, leaving you with dry, unmixed ingredients at the bottom.
Blended crepe batter should be fairly thin. It will thicken after resting and "autolyzing". (Allowing the liquid to fully absorb into the flour). It should be lump free. If you find that there are lumps in your batter, you can either blend it more or strain it.
I do not have a special crepe pan. I pre-heat and grease with butter a NON-STICK skillet.
Grease non-stick skillet with butter.
Wipe off excess butter with paper towel
The skillet should be heated prior to pouring in the batter so that it adheres to the pan. When it adheres to the pan, swirl the pan to completely cover the base with a thin layer of batter.
I cover the pan which allows the batter to cook. If you have a lid that allows the steam to escape, all the better! The crepe is ready when the sides are crisp and seems to be separating from the pan.
Cover pan with lid to allow crepes to cook
When making crepes with ingredients that need to melt, add those ingredients when the batter is cooking.
Some savory ingredients need to be cooked first prior to adding them to the crepe.
Heating up smoked duck breast. Cooking fresh shitake mushrooms
Savory crepe with cheese, smoked duck breast, fresh shitake mushrooms and arugula.
Fillings:
The sky's the limit. For dessert crepes, it can be as simple as cinnamon and sugar with a little lemon juice. For savory crepes, you can pretty much use whatever you find in the fridge! Let me know what amazing creations you've come up with in the comment section!
Fresh peaches with brown sugar. I use 1 tsp of brown sugar for 1 fresh peach to get that sweet , tart balance.
Sliced banana with peanut butter
SOURDOUGH CREPES
Ingredients
- 237 ml milk
- 296 ml water
- 4 large eggs
- 60 grams sourdough starter
- 213 grams all purpose flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter melted to a liquid.
- butter for greasing the pan.
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a blender, making sure you add the liquid ingredients first.
- Blend for about 10 seconds until mixed. Scrape sides of blender
- Blend for an additional 10 seconds until batter is lump free.
- Let rest for 30 minutes before cooking. Set timer for 30 minutes
Wow !! Is all I can say.. My first time ever to make Crêpes and I was blown away how easy this recipe is. I thought it is impossible to make this without fancy equipment. I was totally incorrect. No fancy equipment needed. It came out just like how I remembered it when I was in France. It brought back memories. Especially during this time when we cannot travel anyway… this is definitely my every day breakfast or just a fabulous dessert treat. The fillings you can put into the Crêpes are endless. Get creative and …
C’est bon and bon appetite everyone!!