The basics of Breton pancakes
Buckwheat flour or buckwheat?
Emblematic of Brittany, pancakes are prepared from buckwheat flour, but can they be prepared with buckwheat flour? The answer is yes, and yes three times, for the simple reason that buckwheat flour and buckwheat flour are quite simply one and the same product! A difference in name which gives rise to numerous confusions, the first being to think that buckwheat flour contains gluten, like the flour of the same name. No worries at this level, buckwheat flour – or buckwheat – does not contain gluten.
Do buckwheat pancakes contain lactose?
Unlike sweet pancakes, buckwheat pancakes are prepared by mixing buckwheat flour, eggs, salt, and water. No animal or vegetable milk on the horizon. Nor lactose, therefore. That being said, regional variations exist, and some Breton crepe makers include milk in their preparation, while others do not use eggs. It’s up to you to decide which recipe you prefer to follow.
Can you flavor your buckwheat pancakes?
In absolute terms, there is no problem with flavoring your pancake dough, apart from alienating the Bretons! But above all, you must keep in mind that the taste of buckwheat flour is already powerful in itself, and that there is no need to add much to it (apart from a garnish).
How to avoid lumps in your pancake batter?
Like its sweet sister, to avoid having lumps in your dough, simply incorporate the liquid gradually. If you add all the water at once, lumps are inevitable. Let’s be honest: preparing pancake or pancake batter takes five minutes, it would be a shame to waste it by rushing unnecessarily.
If you ever have a few lumps, there is always the option of using a hand blender.
Should you prepare your pancakes in advance?
In terms of preparation/garnishing, there are several schools. The one who cooks the pancake then garnishes it immediately, and the one who prefers to prepare all her pancakes in advance, then garnish them by reheating them afterwards. For our part, we are more of a “team in advance” to avoid spending hours in the kitchen when serving. In fact, reheating and garnishing already cooked pancakes is a very quick operation. You can even make life easier by preparing all your ingredients in advance: grated cheese, pieces of ham, sliced mushrooms, etc.
What filling for my buckwheat pancakes?
Simply put, a buckwheat pancake is often made up of grated or chopped cheese, cold meats – ham, bacon, or bacon –, a sunny-side-up egg for aficionados, or even mushrooms. But you can also opt for 100% cheese buckwheat pancakes.
The advantage of pancakes is that all toppings are possible.
Ham, grated cheese and an egg for a complete pancake.
Goat cheese and honey for a sweet and sour delight.
Ham, mushrooms, and Beaufort for an intense pancake.
Roquefort and walnuts for an autumnal spirit.
Caramelized onions and raclette cheese for a savory mountain crepe.
And the list of savory pancake toppings is still long.
The recipe for buckwheat pancakes
For about 13 pancakes
250 g buckwheat flour
10 g of salt
2 eggs
60 cl of filtered water
2 tbsp. tablespoon of olive oil
Mix the flour, salt, and eggs. Add the water gradually until you obtain a soft and homogeneous dough. Add the olive oil.
Heat a crepe pan with oil or butter, pour a ladle of batter into it.
Spread the batter over the entire crepe pan, cook until the pancake comes away from the edges. Flip the pancake and cook the second side.
Proceed in this way until the ingredients are used up.
When the pancakes are cooked, all you have to do is reheat them in a buttered crepe pan, add the filling, fold the sides and cook until all the cheese is melted.
