Pancakes

Pancakes are one of those fundamental foods which combine simplicity with extreme versatility. This tutorial deals specifically with the thin, light pancakes known as ‘crêpes’ in France.

Ingredients

For the crêpes:
100g plain flour
1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil
2 eggs
300ml milk

For the galettes:
330g buckwheat flour
750ml water
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt

1. Start with the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Pour the eggs into the well one at a time
3. Whisk by hand or with an electric whisk, slowly widening the circle, so flour is introduced in a controlled manner.
4. As it thickens, add the rest of the wet ingredients, one at a time, and continue.
5. The second egg, the oil and finally the milk (or water).
6. Again, it’s worth adding this in stages, thoroughly whisking in more flour each time.
7. The next step is to rest the batter before frying. Just leave it undisturbed for about 30 minutes, in the fridge or on the worktop.
8. Resting allows the starch granules in the flour to absorb moisture and swell up, increasing the viscosity (i.e. thickness) of the mixture.
9. Once heat is applied, these granules will swell up even more and burst, releasing one of their components; the polysaccharide amylose.
10. Amylose is an excellent thickener and water binder, so it increases viscosity even further and locks moisture into the pancake even as it cooks.
11. The ideal crêpe-style pancake should be thin, lightly cooked and golden in colour.
12. If you find that, after resting, the batter pours too thickly, feel free to loosen it with a little more milk or water.
13. They should be cooked on a medium heat and quite briefly – that’s why they need to be thin.
14. Cook them on a crêpe make or in a pan – just spread the batter evenly by tilting the pan.
15. Cook for one to two minutes, looking for a crispy edge and a rich golden colour on the underside, then flip it.
16. The second side will cook in about half the time and will look quite different, because bubbles have formed on its surface, which blister when the pancake is turned over.

Spiced up crêpes

Savoury galettes